The Kurds' plight is a tragic mistake of history. Losing their independent state at the close of WWI, they have been made to endure racial and ethnic hatred, particularly in Turkey and Iraq. In Saddam Hussein's Iraq, their treatment by the regime was particularly lethal.

The genocidal oppression there came to Miller's attention in the 90's. Then, the brutal treatment during those years forced them to flee as they had for years since their nationhood was dissolved. These expressionistic paintings that incorporate sand and oil paint in slashes and swirls that define the subjects' drift for mercy.