In Restless, the bed is not a place of repose, but a site of internal negotiation. Created during a period of prolonged personal stress, the work captures the 'in-between' moments of a weekend morning — the aimless rolling and the weight of a body that refuses to meet the day.

While the pose is one of domestic lethargy, the formal qualities of the painting tell a different story. The figure is distorted into a poetic, almost serpentine curve, and the flesh is rendered in a palette of vibrant, high-voltage hues. This choice is a deliberate act of defiance against the grayness of anxiety. By aestheticising the struggle and emphasising a youthful vitality in the skin, I am exploring the thin line between self-preservation and escapism. Is this an obsession with a version of myself that is untouched by the world, or is it a necessary retreat into a poetic reality? Restless functions as a sanctuary, where the tired body is recharged through the transformative power of colour.