Graduate student Jake Baker poses in front of his piece, “Short Conversations With Long Worms,” which is based on his time in the military. Baker served for 10 years in the Army, and he said each of his pieces has a “disturbing” story behind it.

When Baker was in Afghanistan, a man sold him a pet monkey. However, the Taliban punished this man for selling things to the soldiers; they cut his head off. The man’s head was then placed in a flowered pillowcase.

Baker said the painting represents himself, constantly thinking about the man who sold him the monkey.