Despair Within Reality

Based on a photo of refugees in flight, this piece centers on exhaustion and despair. People overlap in a tight frame, where the people slump or curl lifelessly. Eyes are closed or unfocused, turning these individuals into a collective group of fatigue. These characteristics are universal across the people illustrated, conveying a learned reflex or traumatic response to fear of their kind. Colors pronounce cooler tones and emphasize shadow onto the clothes and faces of the figures to deepen the darkened mood. 

The person near the center, however, perched above others and covering the face, is deliberately shone. The highlight isolates that person from the crowd while also serving as a representation of the group, where disbelief, shame, and helplessness is concentrated in the figure. Together, the overlapping bodies, closed eyes, and self-protective poses fix attention on the cost of displacement making the exhaustion and distress visible throughout the piece.