Acrylic on Somerset fine pressed paper

88.5CM × 137CM framed

At first glance, a near-blank canvas. A single black dot centres the composition, offering minimal visual information. But under UV light, Self Portrait 2 reveals a hidden landscape: neon structures and tangled forms unfold across the surface, both intentional and improvisational.

Created using UV-reactive acrylic paint, the piece is both an artwork and a sensory threshold. It is a meditation on the unseen complexity of the artist’s neurodiverse mind. The patterns evoke simultaneity, layered perception, and moments of interruption, reflecting the inner mechanics of ADHD with precision and poetry.

An early experiment in the development of the forthcoming exhibition The Hidden (2027), this work explores how identity and inner life are often veiled by surface appearances. It stands as a reminder that there is always more beneath the visible. To reveal its true form, the viewer must shine UV light onto the surface — a gesture that becomes metaphor. Like all meaningful understanding, it requires effort, intention, and a willingness to see another person fully.