Rooted in Love - The Saga Beneath Borders

JOY

Rooted in Love - The Saga Beneath Borders

From the series Disenthralled

2023

Acrylic on canvas

36 × 36 in. (91 × 91 cm)

CURATORIAL NOTE

Disenthralled refers to the act of freeing oneself from the invisible social structures, norms, and inherited beliefs that confine identity, desire, and self-expression.

Rooted in Love examines immigration as a condition shaped by global inequality, stratified policy regimes, and differentiated belonging. Through the metaphor of intertwined roots seeking stability in new soil, the artwork reflects on how migrants enter hierarchically organized systems that classify rights, protections, and pathways to permanence. Contribution to society does not automatically translate into full incorporation; policy categories determine access to security, recognition, and continuity.

In alignment with Spring in Winter's structural methodology, the work connects macro economic asymmetry and border governance to institutional gatekeeping and lived negotiation of identity. Racism, credential devaluation, and cultural stratification operate alongside formal policy to influence how securely new roots can take hold. Rooted in Love invites viewers to consider belonging not as a personal adjustment but as an outcome shaped by the design of social systems.

In reflecting on this artwork, you might consider: How do immigration policies, institutional gatekeeping, and cultural hierarchies determine who is able to build secure roots in a new society, and in what ways have similar structures shaped your own sense of belonging?

ARTWORK & COLLECTOR INFORMATION

This original artwork is created on museum-grade cotton duck canvas using professional acrylic paints, presented on a 1.5 in. (3.8 cm) gallery-wrapped stretcher, allowing the work to be displayed without additional framing. The canvas is archival and acid-free, ensuring long-term preservation.

The artwork ships worldwide in its stretched format. Each original work is accompanied by a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity co-signed by the artist and the gallery. As is standard with original artworks, all sales are final once the work has been acquired by a collector.