Stay

The command is direct and bold: “STAY” cutting through the scene and framing the central conflict between the inner and outer self.

Two faces meet in a silent, piercing gaze. The woman on the right presents her composed, outward self. Her exposed brain is a map of vibrant color and complex thought, hinting at the imagination beneath her calm exterior. A delicate butterfly, the symbol of her transformed, free spirit, rests lightly on her chest.

Opposite her, the echo of her mind returns the stare. This second face is a web of organic shapes and neural pathways, a raw visualization of the constantly driven, working interior. Together, they form a silent confrontation of identity and intention.

Beneath this self-reflection, pressure mounts. The dark sea churns, cradling a magnificent seahorse, the mythical creature reflecting the unconscious mind. But the foundation is unstable: microscopic, pink cells drift and multiply, suggesting biological distress or invasive anxiety. A third, desperate figure clutches its face below, consumed by the microscopic reality and the colossal command.

The entire scene is a struggle to be human: the external world demands stillness, while the mind fights to reconcile its freedom with the existential forces that threaten to overwhelm it.

ARTWORK DETAILS

ARTIST

Jela Prančić

MEDIUM

Collage

DATE

20 May 2024

ORIGINAL DIMENSIONS

20cm x 26.5cm