In developing the body of work for Stain, I became increasingly preoccupied with the notion of the flawed or blemished individual. Shakespeare’s famous line from Macbeth—“Out, damned spot”—resonated strongly throughout the process, evoking themes of moral conflict, guilt, and the psychological residue that results from a compromised or damaged soul.

This series of watercolours depicts both recognisable and anonymous figures, their faces tightly cropped to draw focus to the eyes and cheeks—areas marked by the visible trace of tears. Each subject embodies a different emotional narrative: one is a perpetrator, another a victim; one expresses humiliation, another, redemption. They exist within a spectrum of human frailty—grief, repentance, rage, and despair—each shaped by the consequences of ethical failure or moral ambiguity. The "stain," in this context, becomes both literal and metaphorical: a manifestation of the inner turmoil that marks the human condition.

The works are constructed through a process of layered, fluid applications of pigment, with each successive stain gradually revealing the form of the face. This technique serves as a visual analogue for the conceptual layering of emotion and memory, with each mark acting as a trace of psychological disturbance. The paintings are intended to possess a stained quality in their own right—not only in the material sense, but as though bearing the afterimage of an unseen act, the lingering imprint of emotional and moral impact.

Group exhibition curated by Dr Anna Nazzari.

Photography by Renee Doropoulos.