Year: 2021 

Size: 160cm x 182.5cm

Medium: Oil on Canvas

'Against The World' is a deeply personal work that explores the fragile boundary between public adoration and public condemnation. At the centre, the figure remains composed and almost still, even as he is surrounded by a consuming force that symbolises shame, scrutiny, and the weight of a life-altering past.

Repeated triangular forms thread through the composition, acting as a visual reference to the artist’s own symbolism while opening a darker, more psychological dimension. Within this world, the monster becomes a manifestation of inner conflict—fed by regret, loss, and the relentless pressure of being remembered by a single mistake rather than by one’s full humanity.

Yet beneath the intensity, the work speaks to resilience. The calm expression suggests surrender not to defeat, but to acceptance: a quiet release of the need to fight the world’s approval. In this way, the painting becomes a reflection on self-forgiveness, survival, and the strength it takes to remain whole in the face of judgment.