"NIA"

Mia—a name that evokes both memory and trace—explores identity as something that is not fixed, but continuously shaped through experience.

The portrait depicts an African woman whose presence is both powerful and deeply human. Her face is intentionally fractured and reconstructed through a performative gesture, transforming the surface into a metaphor for identity itself: something that is broken, reshaped, and rediscovered rather than simply preserved.

The composition is enriched by vibrant colors and essential geometric forms inspired by ancestral visual languages. These elements do not illustrate a specific culture but evoke a universal sense of origin, belonging, and collective memory.

The gold-filled fractures do not conceal what has been broken; they acknowledge it. They suggest that value is not found in perfection, but in the conscious act of embracing transformation.

Through Mia, the portrait becomes more than a representation of a person. It becomes a reflection on resilience, memory, and the continuous search for our most authentic self.

Medium and features:

Mixed media on hand-fractured and reconstructed casting plaster with oil, acrylic, resin, gold leaf, and artist-developed reinterpretations of traditional Japanese artistic techniques.

Dimensions: 120x75 cm.