Not Enough

The body seems to be the closest thing to the self, yet it is also the place most easily occupied by external gazes, language and standards.

This work comes from the negative comments I repeatedly heard while growing up: that I was not tall enough, not strong enough, not mature enough, or not calm enough. While these words produced insecurity, they also shaped a desire in me to move closer to the masculine image expected by others. Yet this process became absurd and painful.

Using an exaggerated muscle suit as its central prop, the series explores how masculinity is shaped by advertising, social relationships and social expectations. The figure appears in shop windows, dining spaces, gyms, streets, bathrooms and wardrobes, attempting to perform a strong, stable and socially recognised masculine image. Instead of confidence, the body becomes more awkward, rigid and exposed.

The suit is both a disguise and an absurd compensation for the anxiety of not being masculine enough. The work asks how subjectivity is formed when the body is constantly defined, corrected and watched.