"I WANTED TO BE TOUGH", oil paint on paper, 70 x 100cm, 2025

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As an artist, I explore the tension between individuality and external influence, using chiaroscuro to highlight how relationships shape personal identity. Through my work, I investigate themes of connection, transformation, and the emotional complexity of human interaction, which aligns closely with the exhibition’s focus on transformative togetherness. By visually portraying the push and pull of support, control, and self-discovery, I invite viewers to reflect on how collective experiences redefine both personal and societal realities.

 

The interplay of light and shadow, coupled with the hands framing the subject’s face, speaks to the profound ways in which human connection shapes identity and personal transformation. The contrast between illumination and obscurity suggests an internal or external struggle—one that could represent the tension between individual autonomy and the influence of collective experience.

 

The hands in the composition evoke themes of support, control, and intervention, raising questions about the role of others in our personal evolution. Are these hands guiding, restraining, or lifting the subject? Are they a symbol of collaboration, a reflection of how relationships shape self-perception, or a representation of the external forces that challenge and transform us? This ambiguity mirrors the complexity of togetherness as a transformative force—at times nurturing, at times unsettling, but always impactful.