Mirrors: Perception

This piece marks the beginning of a series that interrogates self-perception and the tension between the inner psyche and external reality. At its core, the work stages a quiet confrontation: a solitary figure stands before a mirror fractured into multiple expressions, each echoing a different facet of being.

The composition reflects the artist’s lived experience with social anxiety—a condition that often manifests as a stoic, unreadable exterior while the mind churns with relentless thought. This mask, born from constant internal processing, can create distance, rendering the artist seemingly unapproachable.

Yet beneath this surface calm lies a paradox: the same restraint that offers temporary peace also deepens isolation. The mirror becomes a metaphor for multiplicity—the selves that exist but rarely emerge, the longing for connection shadowed by the weight of past trauma and abandonment. Boundaries, here, are both shield and prison, a defense against harm and a barrier to intimacy.
Ultimately, the work is not only an image but a psychological map—a visual language of silence, fragmentation, and yearning, inviting viewers to question how identity negotiates between concealment and exposure.

Technical Details:

Size: 18 X 24 Inches
Medium: Charcoal and graphite fusion
Technique: Heavy blending for an oily texture, contrasted with sharp subtractive marks
Structure: Built on a perspective grid to anchor the imagined vision