At The Gates of Society

In this large-format piece, At the Gates of Society, I explore the crucial, internal moment of existential reckoning: the decision to engage with, or retreat from, contemporary communal structures. The work is a minimalist confrontation, a study in psychological segmentation and high-stakes choice.

The canvas is starkly divided, establishing a powerful visual dichotomy. The overwhelming majority, a full two-thirds of the composition, is consumed by an authoritative, opaque Black. This expanse represents the societal structure itself—a monolithic, often isolating mass of expectation, convention, and collective anonymity. It is the vast, formidable unknown one must choose to enter.

Juxtaposed against this darkness is a searing, intense Red, dominating the final third of the canvas. This is not a passive colour; it is the burning friction of the inner self, the volatile energy of individual desire, or perhaps the emotional cost of conforming. The transition is not neat: the Red does not merely abut the Black; it appears to flow and bleed into the darker mass, symbolizing the potential for personal passion and identity to be absorbed or diluted by the larger social body.

The narrative climax is centered in the Black expanse. Two bold, deliberately unequal golden vertical lines descend from the top edge within the left third. These are the Gates. They are not welcoming; they are stark and unyielding. The Gold signifies the promise, the reward, the perceived success or security that lies within the societal walls—but their inherent unequal nature speaks to the flawed, skewed opportunity that the system offers.

The work crystallizes the intrinsic human query: Shall I enter, or turn around? The Gates are open, but the price of entry—the dilution of the individual Red into the communal Black—is palpable. The painting forces the viewer to stand in that liminal space, to feel the magnetic pull of conformity versus the vital, isolated intensity of self.

Mixed media on canvas. 100cm x 100cm. Red and black abstract artwork with golden highlights.

Price: 7.200,- Euro.