Hind: €1600
Acrylic and oil on canvas
Unmasking is a process, not a final destination. I began this painting in 2023, shortly after becoming a mother. It was a moment when my sense of self felt fragile and blurred. I was giving constantly, adjusting, responding, trying to hold everything together. Somewhere in that effort, my own voice became quieter. Not absent, but harder to reach. I invited my son to paint with me. His body moved without hesitation. His hands were fast, messy, and confident, guided by curiosity rather than intention. There was no fear of doing it wrong. Watching him paint, I felt both joy and grief. Joy for his freedom, and grief for how far I had drifted from that state myself. For two years, this canvas hung above my bed. I did not finish it. I lived with it. It watched me change, question myself, and slowly begin to separate what was essential from what was expected. It became a reminder of a self I was not yet ready to fully return to. In 2025, I came back to the painting alone. I finished it with my own hands, in my own rhythm. I was no longer trying to meet an image of who I should be. I was simply removing layers that no longer felt true. This painting is not a conclusion. It is a gesture toward freedom, and an ongoing act of unmasking.
