Cullen’s paintings of pilots were made during the early days of the pandemic when CNN and other big news organizations were speaking about de-globalization. Cullen fixated on pilots and flight attendants as a relic from pre-neoliberalism where companies had to compete based on the quality of service offered since flight prices were fixed in the 1970’s. They also represent an intersection of class in a power dynamic, acting simultaneously as service workers and enforcers, yet always clad in a distinctly international style of fashion.