Belonging
2025.
Acrylic on canvas board
Dimensions W30cm x L40cm (11.81″ x 15.75″)
This piece marks the beginning of my artistic journey, created during a time of isolation when both the digital and physical worlds felt disconnected from creativity. The digital realm often overwhelms me there’s little space to slow down, gather thoughts, or be truly inspired. Meanwhile, the physical world can feel void of meaningful creation.
In response, I turned inward. My imagination became my sanctuary an ever present space where inspiration lives untethered. I often feel underdeveloped or out of place in a world where connection, opportunity, and belonging feel increasingly out of reach due to the way we are socialised today.
This inner world is where I begin to make sense of things. In it, ancestors take shape not only as figures from the past, but as people I know, have known, or imagine. They represent lineage, memory, and the longing to belong.
This work is an exploration of that internal space where imagination, ancestry, and identity converge to offer a sense of place when the outer world falls short.
Esther Akello 