I’ve always loved the Statue of Liberty. To me, it stands for a simple ideal – a world (not just a country) where we take care of each other and reap great benefits, spiritual and material. It’s a progressive ideal, and one that seems to whisper these days, where it used to shout.

I first saw Sagaki Keita’s Statue of Liberty a couple of years ago. It struck me with its deceptive complexity. “Deceptive complexity” as a stylistic decision, or a storytelling sleight of hand, is a favorite subject of mine. And it’s something I ponder a lot — especially on days like today, the twelve year mark for 9/11.

Yeah, there’s stuff going on in there. Cute stuff, perverse stuff, violent stuff, plain old stuff. A lot like the mess that is us! Here’s a closer look:

And closer.

In the final analysis, the “deceptive complexity” being brought together into this whole illustration is powerful. Cute and clever, too, yeah. But powerful. To me, it says, clearly, that the whole will come together the more we embrace the parts, mess and all. And it’ll make sense. And it’ll make us all better off.

Thanks Sagaki!

-Ben Zackheim