While Irish's devotion to the political propelled her to paint in Vietnam and France, it is striking how much this show does not scream 'political art!.' I think it is exactly this show's relative ambiguity, that makes it more interesting and more effective.
In the early 20th century, Coco Chanel saw fishermen on the beaches of France wearing striped shirts, and began to wear them herself. The shirt worked its way into the wardrobes of Parisian society, and a classic was born.