Haunted Lotus

In many of the Haunted Lotus works, the text can be found in a gilt cloud that hovers above the demon figures. The anchored text of the traditional miniature painting now floats freely across the work, becoming an integral pictorial part of the painting rather than a separate block of writing. Ali is cognizant of the power of language to control, distort and impart truth, and he seems to seize on the pictorial integration of character as a means to be less didactic about his message. Similarly, his stunningly beautiful demons are the sugar-coated pills that help disguise the bitter test of reality.