Title: Grandmother, What Are You Doing With the Pain
Size: DIN2 paper
Material: Pencil and black ink

The drawing “Grandmother, What Are You Doing With the Pain” was inspired by a photo showing a young woman near the face of an old woman. From this, the artist created a multilayered face with fragmented structures, reflecting the deep wrinkles of the elder. There are organic lines that stand out from the floral structures in the young woman’s face. Both figures are composed of geometric patterns and surreal symbols. The faces merge seamlessly. The elder leans toward youth in the pain of aging, seemingly trying to absorb it. While the left side of the image is chaotic and dark, dominated by dense, almost rampant forms, wrinkles and grooves, the right side is finer and more ornamental. This contrast is meant to reflect an inner conflict – between pain, chaos, and the need for clarity or spiritual insight. The handwritten question Grandmother, what are you doing with the pain enhances the emotional dimension: thus, the artist brings an existential engagement with aging to the viewer. The artist presents a visual prayer that transforms the pain of aging, because the young woman, through her proximity and empathy, seeks to understand it.