The figures are naked and unprotected. There is nowhere to hide. Both are exposed, yet only one is allowed to speak.

There are no restraints in the image. No chains or bindings. That absence is intentional. The control here is not physical. It lives in relationship, in hierarchy, and in what has been learned and internalised over time.

This is about a form of power that does not require force. The kind that operates through dominance, expectation, and unspoken rules. Who is permitted to take up space. Who is allowed to speak. Who must remain quiet in order for the structure to hold.

The mother figure carries authority through position rather than strength. Eve exists under her gaze, shaped by it, contained by it. Both are visible, but only one holds agency.

The work reflects a shared experience. Growing up inside someone else’s unresolved fear or control. Learning to hide parts of yourself in order to stay safe. Understanding, long before language arrives, that some truths carry consequence.

This is not a sentimental image of motherhood. It is an honest one.

It holds the complexity of intimacy entwined with power. Of love alongside harm. Of silence passed from one body to another, often without intention, but with lasting impact.

This work sits within a wider body of art exploring similar themes.