The paintings depict human figures in recognisable roles — boxer, dancer, footman — but their faces are hidden behind red masks or completely unrecognisable. They stand isolated, often in pairs, against a dark, dreamlike background. This evokes themes such as identity, role patterns, the human condition and the struggle between inner and outer appearance.

In my work, I explore the roles we play — voluntarily or involuntarily — and how identity becomes distorted or hidden within social structures.

The characters in my paintings are veiled, masked or faceless. They represent archetypes: the fighter, the servant, the dancer. But their anonymity makes them universal — they could be any one of us.

By showing them in a theatrical, often dark environment, I ask the viewer: Who are you when no one is watching? And who must you be when everyone is watching?

The mask protects, but it also takes away. The boxer wears it to fight — but is he fighting the other person, or himself? The dancer seems graceful, but is she free or trapped in her role?

I work with diptychs because I believe that identity can rarely be captured in a single image. Contrasts, dark sides, doubles: they are inevitable. Just as a mirror does not show truth, but only reflection.

The red mask: a powerful visual symbol. Red is intense, emotionally charged, referring to blood, struggle, passion, shame or anger. The masks hide faces, but sometimes reveal a mouth, reminiscent of a scream or silence.

Dark backgrounds: isolate the figures, as if they were standing in a kind of existential void. They suggest introspection, dream worlds or the subconscious.

Clothing and attributes: indicate social roles. But the context is empty or ambiguous — a boxer without an audience, a footman without a court. This creates alienation.

Body language: subtle but powerful. The figures radiate strength and pride, but also melancholy and loneliness.