50cm x 60cm - 2021

Oil on canvas, manga pages, crystal resin 

Hikikomori is a social phenomenon, that was first identified in Japan, but has now extended across the world, and is characterised by acute social withdrawal, as individuals never leave the house. The Japanese word “hikikomori” translates to “pulling inwards,” and this is exactly what these contemporary hermits do. During reclusion they substitute the real world with the internet, television and manga comics. As the voluntary confinement syndrome takes over, the individual gets dehumanised, annihilated by an apathetic fruition of the fictional realm, that shuts any physical interaction with the outside world.