explore humanity, culture, and the lessons we can learn from the past.
COLLECTION 2025
TRIBES
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This project explores humanity’s search for purpose and the lessons we can learn from our past. Inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s Amazônia exhibition, I created five expressive charcoal portraits of indigenous people, communities who still live in connection with the earth and with each other. Their way of life reflects values we have lost in modern society: purpose, community, resilience, and harmony with nature.
Charcoal, an elemental material born of fire and wood, was chosen for its raw, organic quality, linking these portraits to ancient forms of human expression. Each face tells a story of survival, identity, and belonging. Through these works, I invite the viewer to step into their world, to reflect on our own struggles, and to find inspiration in their balance between tradition and endurance.
Five expressive charcoal portraits of indigenous people, communities who still live in connection with the earth and with each other.
PRAYER
Panpastel &Willow Charcoal [420mm x 594mm]
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Prayer embodies a lifetime of wisdom, endurance, and quiet contemplation. Her face, deeply lined and expressive, tells a story of resilience and acceptance. Though her body may have weakened with time, her spirit remains unshaken. She carries the weight of experience, yet there is serenity in her expression, an unwavering strength that comes from years of perseverance. Her closed eyes suggest introspection, a moment of connection to something greater than herself. Through hardship and change, she has learned to endure, finding peace in reflection rather than resistance.
RESILIENCE
Willow Charcoal [420mm x 594mm]
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Resilience portrays a woman whose delicate frame belies an unshakable inner strength. Though she appears fragile, her spirit is anything but. She is sharp, resourceful, and always finds a way forward, no matter the obstacles. Her gaze, lifted with quiet determination, reflects a mind that thinks three steps ahead, navigating challenges with wisdom and adaptability. She never surrenders to despair, standing firm even when the odds are against her. She places the well-being of others above her own, sacrificing comfort and ease to protect and uplift those around her. In her presence, one sees both vulnerability and unyielding resolve, a reminder that true strength is not measured in physical power but in the unwavering will to endure and uplift.
WARRIOR Willow Charcoal [420mm x 594mm]
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Warrior portrays a man of quiet strength and deliberate skill. He observes more than he speaks, studying his surroundings with patience and clarity. Every action is measured, every movement rooted in repetition and discipline, for he knows that mastery lies in the details others overlook. He understands both his power and his limits, turning even weakness into strategy, using the energy of opposition to his advantage. Though capable of great force, he remains humble, standing equal to all, a protector who values balance over dominance. His wisdom is passed not through loud commands but through precise action and subtle teaching. He needs little to live, content with simplicity, grounded in purpose, reminding us that true strength is not in possession, but in presence, foresight, and restraint.
CHEF Willow Charcoal [420mm x 594mm]
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Chef embodies the union of nourishment and leadership, a play between the roles of provider and guide. Like a chef, he carries vast knowledge and an open mind, using all senses to understand, refine, and create. He sees the potential in each element the earth offers, ingredients of survival, culture, and memory, and combines them with care and precision. His gift is not only to feed but to heal, to bring people together in shared moments of sustenance and connection. Much like a chief, he holds the responsibility of sustaining his people, protecting the delicate balance between humanity and nature. Around him, meals become memories, gatherings turn into communities, and survival transforms into celebration.
YOUTH Willow Charcoal [420mm x 594mm]
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Youth captures the unspoken emotions of a boy standing at the threshold of discovery. His face holds both the innocence of childhood and the first traces of life’s weight, an untold story of hope interwoven with experience. Restless yet tender, he dreams of growing into the figure others will look up to, while still carrying the boundless excitement to share himself with the world. His spirit is curious, questioning, and unafraid to defy convention, seeking new paths where none seem to exist. Though a touch rebellious, his defiance is rooted in love for friends, for outsiders, for the beauty he sees in the uncommon. He is eager to learn, not by being told, but by living risking, failing, trying again. In him, one finds the raw energy of becoming: a reminder that youth is both fragile and fearless, a promise of what could be if we nurture it rather than suppress it.