White puzzle, marker, ultraviolet, mixed media.

«Place» is a white jigsaw puzzle — a metaphor for a society composed of individuals who appear to form a perfectly tuned, seamless whole. Yet one single piece refuses to fit the overall picture.

This dissonance quietly compels the viewer to turn the gaze inward: to confront their own otherness, their persistent search for belonging amid the seemingly flawless success and happiness of everyone else. But is every perfectly fitted piece truly content where it lies?

Under ordinary light the composition looks harmonious and complete.

Under ultraviolet light the hidden truth emerges: the real emotional landscape of the people within — their inner fractures, silent struggles, unspoken pain.

Paper, watercolor, liner, 35x35 cm, 2025.

Every person has someone who is important and dear to them. In moments of separation, parting, departure, or hospital isolation, our feelings raise one anxious question about this person: “How is he doing?”

The diptych tells the story of an attempt to find an inner anchor and self-soothing amidst this uncertainty. At its core is a simple yet powerful answer that transforms anxiety into warm hopes for the best.
The work invites the viewer to reflect on their own experiences of separation, when only hope saved them from despair and voiced the comforting: “He is ok.”