Ingrained – Boys Don't, 2023
Charcoal, washi tape on paper
15" × 22"
Charcoal, washi tape on paper
15" × 22"
The repeating triangle pattern is called uroko, representing scales of fish, snakes, and dragons. Historically worn by samurai as a symbol of strength and protection, the pattern is reinterpreted here as the weight of expectations placed on males, who must be strong, stoic, and unyielding. In this piece, the figure exhales the pattern into the air, releasing what was never truly his to carry.