Shipping

Please, contact us for shipping or collection details

Reserve this artwork

Please, contact us to reserve this artwork

Price

£950

Story behind the artwork

This work was created for a themed exhibition focused on a dark reality we often choose to ignore: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. We are taught in school that slavery is a ghost of the past, but as I researched this theme, I was struck by a devastating irony. We live in the 21st century—a time of incredible technological advancement, especially here in Europe and the UK—yet human trading is a daily occurrence. Whether it is sexual exploitation, forced labor, or the preying on the socially vulnerable, people are still being bought and sold like cattle.

In Human Auction, I wanted to mirror the cold, emotionless process of a sale. I imagined the bidders looking at human beings not as souls, but as "merchandise" to be used until exhaustion.

The Void Within: The figures in this work are defined by hollow spaces and jagged holes. I used these voids to express the idea that these victims are treated as bodies without souls. But for me, the meaning goes even deeper.

When I was creating this, I tried to put myself in the position of the enslaved. I realized that the only way to survive such a nightmare is for the soul to retreat. I wanted to capture that specific, haunting feeling of dissociation—the moment when someone is hurting you so deeply that you "step out" of your own body. You leave your physical shell behind to endure the pain while your true self hides somewhere else, pretending you aren't really there.

I have never been a slave, but I have known the weight of physical and psychological abuse. I know what it feels like to tell yourself, "This is not happening to me, I am not in this body." Those holes in the sculpture are the marks of that survival tactic. They represent the parts of the person that have fled just to stay alive.

Why I Share This: Human Auction has a very somber tone. This is exactly why I believe it is vital to tell the stories behind my art. A viewer might see the title and find a connection, but when the artist explains the intent—the connection between global slavery and personal trauma—it allows the viewer to see the work in a much larger, more human context.

The stories behind my artwork, the opportunities in The Lighthouse, and the reflections of the Morning Muse are my ways of keeping the lamp lit for our creative community. These resources will always be free to access. If they have found you at the right time, consider fueling the forge to help keep the fire burning. Your support, in any amount, is deeply appreciated.

Get in Touch

phone

+44 7926264019

email

contact@steelcanvasgallery.com