In this work, silence is not presented as absence, but as an active state of inner movement. The image does not seek either light or darkness; it exists in an intermediate space where tension is not released, but sustained. This act of endurance becomes the central gesture of the work.

The depicted face does not perform emotion. The gaze is open, yet not directed outward — it is turned inward, toward a process of internal alchemy. Matter here is understood not as a passive form, but as a living substance capable of transformation under the pressure of inner presence. Where matter endures, it ceases to be inert and shifts into another state.

The golden and warm pigments within the painterly structure do not function as decorative light. They mark a moment of transition — a point at which tension, silence, and concentration give rise to transformation. This is not the result of struggle, but a consequence of stability.

The work continues the artist’s exploration of inner presence, sustained focus, and the human capacity to remain within oneself without choosing between polarities. Gold here is not the goal, but a byproduct of endurance.

Artist’s Statement

I do not seek the light or the dark.

I move in silence —

and where matter endures me,

it turns to gold.