The House of Dreams is a house museum created by the British artist Stephen Wright, who turned his home into a work of art. The museum provides a deeply authentic touching experience.

Stephen's advice was very significant to me in shutting down my insecurities as an artist. My visit to his museum reassured me of the power art has to connect us to our memories, people, places and ourselves.

©stephenwrightartist.com

This self-portrait is part of my Tightrope collection, where I explore the experiences of some women and their relationship with motherhood, mental wellness and self-love.

This painting depicts my challenges with loss of freedom and authenticity after becoming a mother, and my journey to rediscover myself while dealing with bottled-up emotions.

The acrylic painting “Decisions” was inspired by a friend and her inner battle against motherhood and prioritisation. This friend had to make many decisions, including changing her career, to adjust her life in a way she could recover from her exhaustion.

Motherhood has been proved to be a difficult chapter in her life and affected her psychological wellbeing massively. Clearly, society needs to be more prepared to accommodate working mothers.

Helena is a lady who is part of my childhood memories. She was labelled as a crazy and “tacky” person merely because she enjoyed wearing colourful makeup and outfits.

This painting represents authenticity. Helena’s way of being was congruent with her desires. Despite all the external pressures she received, she never stopped being herself. She knew about self-love!

The acrylic painting “The Bowler Hat” was inspired by the lightness of being after leaving a broken relationship without carrying any possessions, but a hat.

The naked body plays a role in expressing the essence of the woman. The clock represents the time lost beside someone not relevant and the time gained with the experience of having someone not relevant by her side. The ghost and the mirror support the truth in the painting's narrative.

The same woman was painted twice on the canvas, albeit one was imprisoned to represent the confinement in one’s thoughts and the battle between sanity, mental health and social stigma.

This painting represents racing thoughts and a flight of ideas that compete with a tired body. It was painted in one of those days when I did not feel I inhabited this land. I know nature can save me sometimes, and art has always rescued me from my prison.

The acrylic painting “When I listened to my inner voice” was inspired by a breakup and celebrates the exercise of freedom, self-contemplation and self-love. It highlights the relevance of listening to our inner voice as a key to not losing ourselves when we need ourselves the most.

A sorrowful and confident woman was painted as a reminder that the present is already better with self-love and yellow flowers.

The female portrait “Don’t make us look like fools” was influenced by a mass movement led by Brazilian women in 2018. These women were urged to be heard by the patriarchal society and were pledging to have an equal democracy in place.

A powerful yet delicate woman was painted to represent the female power and the admirable tenacity of the woman who never gives up.