Rashid Rana

I went to the Asia Society's Holiday Party with my sister the other day and we got a free tour. There was an exhibit about Pakistan and it's many talented artists, one of them being Rashid Rana.
He's beyond words kind of amazing. It's safe to say that he has completely transformed and ripped apart everything I thought art could be and the possibilities within this already creative and open-minded outlet.
I really encourage anyone/everyone who reads this to check out his work. He has this unusual style of taking numerous (we're talking thousands) of little tiny pictures of one topic and making a larger picture out of these tiny ones.
Look up "Red Carpet" - it's a series of pictures about a slaughterhouse he saw in Pakistan, with quite vivid and disturbing pictures of different dead animals lying in pools of blood on the floor. But here's the beautiful thing - when you look at the entire picture it looks like a red carpet, one of those Persian ones that are known for their beauty and admired for their handiwork. Go closer and you'll find some of the most terrifying images of death, and it's all pretty violent.
Thank you Rashid Rana, for being one of those who not only transforms and pushes the limits of artistic creativity but also transforms the image of Pakistan as well. Let's not forget that even though its government may not always make the right decisions and it's economy seems to be crumbling, it's got some pretty amazing people who are looking to prove to people in their homeland and the rest of the world that it's still possible to create beauty out of destruction.