Valentine, 2023
Description:
Valentine disrupts the conventional language of romance by merging a rose, a symbol of affection and tenderness, with a utility knife associated with cutting and potential harm. The blade emerges from within the flower while its stem transforms into thorns, allowing beauty and danger to occupy the same object. The work reflects on the contradictory nature of intimate relationships, where vulnerability, attachment, pleasure, and pain can exist simultaneously. Through this surreal combination, Valentine questions the idealized image of love, suggesting that what attracts and comforts us can also carry the capacity to wound.
