Charcoal, acrylic, marker and embroidery on Canvas

96 x 167.5 cm

Artwork for exhibition. ‘My Inner Child Says: Live Life Before It Leaves You’.

In this series, Uzoh transforms a deeply personal experience into a universal meditation on the fragility of life. Through this collection of paintings, Uzoh reflects on her near-death experience as a teen, using it as a catalyst to explore themes of second chances, identity, and the fleeting nature of existence. Uzoh’s near-death experience altered her perception of life, imbuing her with a heightened awareness of its impermanence. This revelation is vividly expressed in her paintings, where the balloon heads symbolize the delicate and unpredictable nature of human life. Just as a balloon is fleeting, prone to drift away or burst without warning, so too are the moments and experiences that define our existence. The balloon becomes a metaphor for the transient nature of life, and freedom.