Kezban Arca Batibeki’s work explores the female struggle against disempowerment. Drawing upon pop culture imagery and inspired by pulp fiction, her strongly narrative yet enigmatic paintings are dominated by women, often brandishing knives or guns in a threatening atmosphere. Here, a pair of armed, muscular figures in elegant clothes embellished with sequins and beads face off against one another, the tension of the moment captured in their taut posture and echoed in their wild, dark hair. They reflect the dilemma of living in a violent, patriarchal society, which diminishes and shakes their self-confidence, so at times the battle is within the woman herself. The theatricality of this diptych—made specifically for LACMA—in part reflects Batibeki’s cinematic roots as the daughter of a famed Turkish director and a film star, and her fascination with capturing a heightened moment of intense drama. In addition to painting, her artistic practice encompasses photography, installation, and video.