The Keystone

2025, Oil on Italian Linen, 130x130cm

In an arch, the keystone is the fulcrum - the singular point where tension transforms into stability. Remove it, and the structure collapses. This principle extends beyond architecture: in nature, a keystone species, though often small or scarce, holds an ecosystem in balance. Its absence reverberates far beyond its size, unravelling the delicate balance it once sustained.

“The Keystone” interrogates fragility - what happens when the linchpin of a system is compromised, when the vital but invisible is suddenly absent? The balloon, both playful and precarious, becomes a metaphor for tension, a temporary fix straining against inevitable collapse.

I am drawn to these invisible dependencies - the hidden forces that uphold order, the quiet necessities we overlook until they fail. The painting asks: What are the keystones in our own constructs; social, environmental, personal?

And what remains when they give way?