This painting explores the absence of dialogue between two polarized figures. One retreats into himself, hunched and guarded, hidden behind his coat. The other moves forward with a certain boldness, seemingly unaffected. Though they share the same frame, there’s no exchange. No recognition. Just silence.

The image becomes a quiet metaphor for rising polarization — not to judge, but to observe. Ideological, political, or personal divides often lead to a kind of cynical silence. That moment when you speak, but it feels like shouting into a void — like nothing matters anyway. This work leans into that tension: the disconnect, and everything left unsaid when no one’s willing to listen.

And yet, the silence holds potential. The space between them isn’t closed — it’s open. It could be a pause. A shift. A gesture. Maybe even a way forward. The front figure is outlined in the color of the background, like he’s made of glass — transparent, fragile. The same colors that shape the other figure shine through him — as if hinting, ever so quietly, at nuance. At dialogue.

So while this work shows rupture, it also holds room for repair. In a time where lines harden fast, it allows for gradients — soft tones between the black and white. Maybe we don’t have to agree to want to understand each other.

What about you?
How do you navigate that distance?