Migration III continues
the exploration of home through the lens of bureaucracy and belonging. Here,
the focus shifts to the often invisible yet deeply felt limbo of waiting—the
endless lines for food, documentation, and recognition that accompany
migration. A procession of adults, faceless and fragmented, moves across the
canvas in a blur of green tones, echoing both institutional sterility and
emotional disconnection. Their presence is muted, obscured by abstraction and
drips of paint, symbolising depersonalisation and the erosion of identity in
the face of red tape.
At the heart of the work is a young child,
rendered with striking clarity. Clutching a parent's hand and trailing the
familiar checkered blanket—an emblem of continuity across the series—she gazes
outward with quiet resilience. The vibrant red space she stands in suggests
both danger and transformation, a vast emotional landscape she inhabits
unknowingly. Within the folds of the blanket rests a small toy monkey,
seemingly cradled in the fabric and watched over by the child, creating a
tender loop of care and connection—an “infinity mirror” of protection amidst
chaos.
The stylistic language of abstracted realism
persists, with figures fading in and out of focus, merging into painterly
fields of colour. The drips and smudges suggest the erosion of certainty and
the blur of time, while the sharp rendering of the child anchors the viewer in
the emotional truth of the scene. This piece speaks to the adaptability of
children, their ability to play and feel safe despite uncertainty, so long as a
hand is held and a loved one is near.
