The encounter with the subject of this painting has been fortuitous, and resulting from act of contemplation that seemed to be echoed in the object of my contemplation. This kind of projection of human emotions or attitudes or states of mind onto inanimate objects is a prominent part of my practice and relates to a feeling of discomfort towards human presence and interactions, and to the peace of silence and contemplation for an introverted.
This image was taken during the lockdown that the whole world experienced in spring for the first time, at a stage in which the initial trauma was over and the isolation had shown a few advantages of slowing down - on a universal and personal scale. I found myself alone and away from my country and family during that time, and this painting is a quiet depiction of what it felt like. From the starting photograph, I strove to extract the ambivalence of that experience: the loneliness together with enhanced feelings of kindness, humanity and empathy; the fear together with the comfort; the worries together with the acceptance of time passing by without rush. Mostly, I wanted to render the darkness of the experience together with the awe of observing the world outside without us, the appreciation of what we collectively used to give for granted, and the magic that can be found in looking at things from a distance, religiously.
