The Unavailable

Being present does not mean being available.

Unavailable explores the difference between being seen and being accessible. A human face sits beneath layers of darkness, its features present but deliberately withheld.

The surrounding strokes fall around the figure like a veil, creating a boundary between the person inside and the world looking in. The darkness does not erase the subject. It protects them.

Rather than asking the viewer to recognise a particular person, the work asks what happens when someone remains physically present while withdrawing the parts of themselves they no longer wish to expose.

The obscured eyes become central to the composition. Without a gaze to meet, the viewer cannot complete the usual exchange between portrait and observer. They can look, but they are not invited in.

Unavailable is about privacy, withdrawal and the right to remain unread.