Respecting people and their ideas, reaching a compromise together, prioritising human wellbeing globally, would be the first step in surfacing from the dark murky waters of a conflicted world.

Through this artwork, I aimed to manifest the suffocating nature of what seems like the world crashing down on us as a result of disrespect and disregard for our fellow global citizens, but also instill a sense of hope for the future once respect and holistic partnership is established. Particularly for youths, the future is magnanimously significant to our quality of life; thus the human-made global political conflict, climate deterioration, the pandemic and its effect on mental health and dissociation from community, internet addiction, wealth inequality, human rights violations, social immobility, as well as clashing views on almost everything-- feel like a devastating divide of humankind ripping us away from the fantasy of a peaceful future. This is conveyed through the larger-than-life hands in my artwork, reaching upwards from the darkness and entangling the subject figure, valiantly trying to pull her down. The two canvases that align together to form the full image also represent this divide. Contrasting the bold, monochromatic colours and the harsh melancholic, chaotic images in these hands, is a young girl illuminated with warm light, grappling to breach the surface of the water and free herself from the hands; reaching out towards the light of hope, and extending an arm towards the viewer. Through this composition, despite the large hands framing and balancing the artwork, the diagonal dynamic nature of her outstretched arms aims to urge viewers to join her in finding solutions to untangle themselves from the debilitating news and conflicts.