hollow.

acrylic on canvas

11” W x 14” H

2026

I knew I wanted to paint a figure that felt almost unnaturally too thin. But for me, this piece represents more than physical appearance. It reflects a period of my life when I was entering the gay community and suddenly becoming hyper-aware of my body. Surrounded by images and people who seemed to embody a certain standard of beauty, I began to feel too fat, too unattractive, and as though my body simply didn’t belong.

That feeling slowly changed my relationship with food, dieting, and exercise. I became consumed by what I would eat, how much I would work out, and whether I was getting closer to looking like the version of myself I believed would finally make me feel “happy”. It became less about health and more about control.

Now, the comments have shifted. I hear that I’m “too skinny” or that I “need to eat.” Part of me still feels a strange sense of validation when I hear it, even though I know how complicated that feeling is. After spending so much time trying to become smaller, being told that I have gone too far can feel like both recognition and contradiction.

HOLLOW is about that contradiction, the feeling that there is no winning when your relationship with your body is constantly measured against someone else’s standard. It is about wanting to disappear and wanting to be seen, wanting to be enough and never quite feeling like you are.

$500.00