The artwork is painted on a shaped wooden panel inspired by the floral Gothic rosettes of Venice, a city whose architecture continually inspires my work. Vertical lines in gold and blue animate the vibrant fuchsia background, while graphite words and phrases emerge subtly from the surface, evoking the expectations that shape contemporary life.

A monumental male figure modeled in white stucco stands at the center of the composition. His athletic body recalls Classical sculpture, while the halo surrounding his head references sacred iconography. He appears suspended between human and divine, looking upward toward an ideal that remains just beyond reach.

For me, this figure represents the contemporary individual, constantly encouraged to become better, stronger, more successful, more visible. The halo becomes both a symbol of achievement and a symbol of pressure.

The work does not question ambition itself. Rather, it reflects on the moment when self-improvement becomes an endless obligation and perfection begins to resemble a religion.

If perfection is the new divinity, what happens to our right to be imperfect?

Protected with three coats of matte UV-resistant varnish. Ready to hang.