“It’s true that both the alien and the robot say, “Listen, we come in peace,” which was genuine when they said it, but the reaction from the humans was to be aggressive, which is part of human nature. It’s our perpetual struggle to overcome, always.”

Irving Petlin is the world’s premier living pastel artist. He is currently an expatriate, living in Paris, France. We sat down at the National Arts Club to discuss his current exhibition there, and his history as an activist and artist.