Ali Eyal's Painting at 2026 Whitney Biennial Depicts Baghdad Amusement Park as War Horror

Ali Eyal's oil painting, Look Where I Took You, will be showcased at the 2026 Whitney Biennial, where it reimagines a Ferris wheel amidst a scene of horrific violence, depicting dismembered bodies from Iraq. This artwork is rooted in Eyal's childhood memories of a Baghdad amusement park prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion, when he was just nine years old. Influenced by artists like Hieronymus Bosch and Francisco Goya, the piece features surreal imagery, such as an elephant trampling a man and a lion devouring a monster, symbolizing the psychological scars of war. Eyal's father vanished following the invasion, which informs the painting’s critique of militaristic rhetoric from the Pentagon. The Whitney Biennial, taking place at the Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort Street, runs until August 23, 2026. Eyal’s work stands out among other artists exploring global conflict, noted for its poetic yet violent nature. Jonathan Stevenson, a writer based in New York, provided a review for Two Coats of Paint.