Visual Art by MICHELLE DURBANO

This ongoing series is about self-exploration through still lifes and conceptual self-portraits. The title reflects the different ways our sense of self shows up, always seen through a form of abstraction: reflection, shadow, or veil. Each work looks at aspects of identity, perception, and personal history, often using symbolic objects or visual metaphors to express emotions that words cannot fully capture. Fragmented faces show the fragility of the masks we wear and the performance of identity in different contexts. Another piece depicts the self within the home, a space once familiar and safe, now outgrown, showing transformation and the passage from one stage of life to another.

Colour, pattern, and materials add layers of meaning. Yellow appears throughout the work, in both objects and skin (depicting societal labels such as zayellow or yellow bone). Patterns explore cultural narratives/symbols while still lifes focus on objects that signify a sense of place ( Zambia), through everyday observation of the mundane.

Together, these images map a personal terrain of selfhood and observation, exploring both inner and outer environments.