(AB)NORMAL

I remembered something my sociology teacher once said, “People are not allowed to tell you what’s weird and what’s not,” I grew up in a very conservative family and I don’t say that there’s something wrong about that, but I always had this feeling of unsureness inside of me. I was told to behave like other kids, to chase my dreams, build a family and have kids. But I have always known that I don’t fit there.

Growing up as a dumb kid not knowing anything about the world, my parents unconsciously determine what’s considered weird for them should be weird to me as well, and I agreed. But as I grew older, I realised that they’re not weird at all! In fact, I found comfort in them, something that I’ve been lacking and that feeling of unsureness disappears slowly as I learned my true feelings.

Through this artwork, I want to portray my feelings growing up, forced into something the society considered normal, as you can see from the grey and colourless background on the top left. That gradually turned into something more colourful, something that the world considered as abnormal. From something as boring as a plain, grey mask, my real self, portrayed by the ecstatic and bright eye, started to take over my old self and turning into something that shows that I’m (ab)normal in my own way, and no one should be allowed to choose what’s weird and what’s not for you.

@reina.boer