Circo2023. Oil pastel on canvas.The Circo series serves as a framework to examine societal contracts and the dynamics of power within familial and communal contexts. Circo seeks to investigate the complex dynamics of isolation, identity, and societal perceptions, uncovering themes of belonging and otherness, questioning who holds power and who is deemed "other" in society. This work exposes the physical, emotional, and psychological feat of contorting ourselves to become what we believe others expect of us, in hopes of being loved at best, or allowed to exist at most. As we strive to gain the applause and meet the expectations of the audience, those darkened faces in the crowd whose acceptance we crave—we gradually lose touch with our essence. We become mere shadows of our original selves, trapped in the role of performers on a stage where true belonging is always out of reach. |