Volcan: The Girl with the Thousand Hiding Places

This series is both an ode to the emotional essence of Abstract art — particularly the iconic works of Mark Rothko — and a tribute to the countless victims of war and natural disasters. It honours the resilience of displaced individuals who, against all odds, strive for a better and, above all, safer life for themselves and their loved ones in unfamiliar lands. May this work serve as a beacon of strength, reminding them never to give up — now or ever.

‘The Girl with the Thousand Hiding Places’ tells the fictional story of a young woman, the sole survivor of her family, who escapes the devastation of war in her homeland. After years of suffering, loss, and unimaginable hardship, she reaches Europe following a long and arduous journey. By chance, she encounters the work of Mark Rothko, an experience that profoundly alters her perception of the world.

Rothko’s emotive paintings empower her with a new way of seeing — one that allows her to focus, almost meditatively, on beauty rather than pain. Instead of being consumed by the destruction and despair she has experienced, she discovers that she has the freedom to choose: to abstract the harshness of reality, to take control of what she sees and feels.

By framing the world through the fingers of her hand, she learns to decide what to let in and what to shut out. For the first time in her life, she is in control — crafting her own small, simple, but safe world, one filled with beauty, colour, and personal fulfilment.