“Migration II” delves into the impact of migration on the family unit, where each figure holds a different emotional weight. At the centre is the child, swathed in the same checkered blanket that threads through the series—a symbol of home, continuity, and inherited memory. The child’s direct gaze, calm and assured, contrasts with the more fragmented presence of the parents. Children often adapt swiftly to new environments, but this resilience can come with an unspoken burden: the quiet responsibility of carrying forward cultural identity. The mother is rendered as a soft, fading outline, symbolising how the act of nurturing can blur personal identity, especially under the strain of transition. Her bowed posture suggests both care and exhaustion. The father stands in the background, his form solid yet weighed down, the dark horizontal line across his shoulders evoking a crucifixion—an image of sacrifice and silent endurance. The painting, like the first in the series, is composed in a style of abstracted realism. Fading forms, drips of paint, and the raw blending of colour suggest emotional seepage, the merging of timelines, and the struggle to hold a family together while straddling two worlds—past and present, origin and destination.

Migration II

125 x 170 cm

Oil on Linen

2025