FREEDOM

I created Freedom during the COVID period, at a time when so much of what we normally took for granted had suddenly been restricted.

It made me think deeply about what it actually means to be free.

I started thinking about how we enter the world as children curious, imaginative and largely unaware of the fears, insecurities and limitations we may eventually pick up along the way.

As we grow, we're influenced by our experiences, the people around us and the society we live in. We learn what we're supposed to do, who we're supposed to be and sometimes even what we're supposed to fear.

Freedom came from my desire to explore what remains underneath all of that.

At the centre of the installation is a baby, representing the purest version of ourselves before the expectations, fear and conditioning.

The towering figure behind him represents a higher consciousness, while the long stem reaching upwards symbolises our connection to something greater than ourselves.

Standing alongside them are two warriors. I created them as protectors, guarding the child and his freedom from the outside influences that may eventually try to shape, limit or disconnect him from who he naturally is.

For me, Freedom isn't about living without responsibilities, challenges or difficult experiences. It's about becoming aware of the things we've learned and carried with us and recognising that we can question what no longer feels true to who we are.

Maybe freedom isn't about becoming someone new. Maybe it's about remembering who we were before the world started telling us who to be.

Freedom was first exhibited as part of my debut solo exhibition, Flow: The Art of Letting Go, in South Kensington, London, in 2022.