Confined Eclipses

Confined Eclipses, 2024 

Pen & ink and watercolor on eight panels, 30” x 22” each 

In this series of illustrations, I explore the predominant emotions with which individuals with mental disorders struggle. This piece focuses on portraying a range of troubled feelings in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder. Confined Eclipses captures the stigmatized and secluded experiences of mental illness to spread awareness and understanding of this social issue. 

Placed in varying fusions of imaginary environments, each panel features an androgynous figure in an anguished pose, embodying behaviors prevalent in reactions to mental stressors. The space and figures’ bodies are heavily distorted and integrated with visceral textures and alien-like forms. Hence, the figures are confined in and forced to bear this miserable state, alluding to the mental and physical deterioration from psychological disorders. 

Struggling with mental illness throughout my life, discussions on these experiences and issues with the individuals and communities around me have sparked inspiration for visual expression in my artmaking. Due to the social stigma and lack of awareness and support, navigating through daily life and society remains extremely difficult and detrimental. Despite the growing efforts of mental wellness, systematic and social barriers continue to prevent an accommodating quality of life and obstruct paths to healing. 

Ultimately, Confined Eclipses strives to encourage vulnerability in conversation about mental illness to lead to further movements for awareness, support, and wellness.