This is a reimagining of a photograph taken of my grandparents, Ilia and Dora Petkov, Bulgarian refugees to the United States. The original photo is centered on my grandfather, Ilia, who was so eager to be an American, he metaphorically, gladly set fire to his Bulgarian identity. My grandmother's perspective was less evident, fighting for twenty five years to keep her Bulgarian identity. Four years after coming to the US with nothing but the support of others, they saved for their first home, which would be their only home. My father, Hristo, desperately wanted to assimilate to American culture. He and his sister, Boriana, almost entirely forgot to speak the language. This painting aims to capture the unique American Dream in all Americans. 

Ilia and Dora are no longer around to witness what's happening in America and across the world today. Immigration is an Earth right and it breaks my heart to know that this isn't the same America my grandfather fought so hard to get to for his safety and the safety of his family. This is America, the country that's been built around immigration, and should welcome immigrants with open arms, not tear apart their families and take away their lives. This is not the American Dream that anyone should be dreaming of.