This collection of Contemporary Eurasian Art is inspired by the ancient history of the world – from manuscripts, maps, and diagrams, to exotic languages and calligraphy, and by sacred symbols and ceremonies. It is full of stories and voyages. It often ventures beyond conventional painting, exploring rare art forms such as icons and oriental scrolls, resonating with a multicultural feel both in technique and materials, as well as subject matter. These are “transnational” portraits of imagined empresses and acolytes, mystics and eunuchs, sages and shamans, astronomers and scholars; all embellished with precious silk, rare textiles, gemstones and gold. The paintings celebrate the cycles of change throughout human history, and are also meant to provoke questions about our identity.