‘Sebastian’, Oil on canvas, 115cm x 142cm, 2026
Sebastian draws upon the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian and contemporary images associated with immigration enforcement in the United States. Rather than offering a direct political commentary, the work serves as a reflection on the nature of injustice itself. Throughout history, acts of punishment, exclusion, and violence have often been justified through prevailing systems of belief, law, and power, revealing how the boundaries between justice and injustice are rarely as clear as they appear. In revisiting the figure of the martyr, the painting presents Sebastian not as a religious symbol but as a recurring human condition that emerges whenever societies determine who belongs and who does not. By withholding clear judgments, the work invites viewers to question their own assumptions and to consider whether injustice is an objective reality or a concept continually shaped by perspective, authority, and circumstance.
