The Invisible Weight: A Visual Deconstruction of Anxiety
作者： Molly
How can the internal sensation of anxiety be expressed through visual mediums like distortion, repetition, and claustrophobic composition? I examined how anxiety is expressed in bodily sensations, warped perception, and isolates individuals emotionally. I directed my research towards taking invisible emotional tension and making it physical by distorting mundane imagery to represent psychological instability.
I began with observation drawings of individual instances of worry, then distorted them by layering and abstracting shapes. I played with color to represent emotional intensity, progressing from muted and light tones to jarring, contrasting colors. I composed the images to achieve burgeoning tension through close framing and imbalance. In exploring relief, I employed repetition and symmetrical forms to represent efforts to soothe the turmoil.
Work 1 Behind the Mask
Description: Using colored pencils and white gel pen, this piece reveals the hidden anxiety beneath a bright, emotional facade. The distorted lines and layered colors illustrate the tension between outward appearance and inner turmoil.
Work 2 The Gaze of Judgment
Description: A digital painting depicting a girl subjected to body-shaming stares. The exaggerated proportions and claustrophobic composition amplify the suffocating pressure of societal scrutiny.
Work 3 Inhale, Exhale
Description: A comic-style illustration of a boy exploring ways to cope with anxiety—exercise, deep breathing, and sharing feelings. The vibrant panels contrast chaotic emotions with moments of calm.
Work 4 Rainy Day Journal
Description: A comic strip following a girl’s journey from anxiety to peace through quiet walks, journaling, and the soothing sound of rain. Soft hues and flowing lines evoke serenity.
Work 5 Sheltered in Pages
Description: A girl curls behind a towering book, surrounded by symbols of academic pressure. The oppressive scale of the book and looming eyes represent the weight of expectations.
Work 6 Eden in the Iris
Description: Inspired by Magritte’s The False Mirror, the eye’s interior bursts with color while the outside world remains monochrome. This duality reflects longing for escape amid emotional confinement.
Work 7 Nature Within
Description: A hollow figure filled with a serene landscape symbolizes nature’s healing power. The contrast between the fractured body and tranquil scenery underscores renewal.
Work 8 The Scramble
Description: Countless hands strain toward a single key, embodying the chaos of societal competition. The chaotic composition mirrors the desperation and tension of collective ambition.
Work 9 Lexicon of Anxiety
Description: A textured collage combining handwritten text and imagery to articulate physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety—headaches, isolation, and the desire to disappear.
Work 10 Inheritance
Description: A red handprint links father and son, visualizing the cycle of inherited trauma. The stark imagery critiques how pain reverberates across generations.
Work 11 Watched
Description: Oil-painted eyes and fragmented faces peer from a mixed-media collage, evoking the paranoia of constant surveillance and social judgment.
Work 12 Beauty in Fragments
Description: A digital sketch blending beauty standards and the fear of observation. The fractured composition mirrors the dissonance between self-perception and external expectations.
Work 13 The Monsters Within
Description: Exaggerated, chaotic lines form monstrous figures embodying anxiety. Their tangled forms spill across the page, representing the uncontrollable nature of intrusive thoughts.
Work 14 Mirror Shards
Description: A mixed-media collage using pencil sketches and cut PVC board to explore self-awareness anxiety. The fragmented surface reflects a splintered sense of identity.
Work 15 Thorned Wings
Description: A PVC butterfly with hot-glued thorns on a black background symbolizes the pain of growth. The digital backdrop intensifies the contrast between fragility and suffering.
