(A poor man carries his market on his shoulder)

 

  Acrylic on canvas, 80 × 60 cm

 

This work reflects on the isolation of struggle. The central figure, burdened with a heavy basket, represents those forced to carry survival alone. Around him, markets suggest accessibility and community, yet his load is his alone. The painting questions humanity’s response: when we see someone weighed down, do we intervene or turn away?

 

 

The red background becomes both womb and witness, holding the gloom of loneliness and the vitality of endurance. The work is also personal, echoing the struggles of my migrant parents who carried the burden of providing in a new land. Here, the proverb becomes a universal reminder: hardship may isolate, but collective care has the power to transform it.