2024 Finalists

“Safe place” painting clearly reflects the impact of war on the artist. Every element of the canvas carries deep symbolism that refers to the horrors and consequences of wartime events.

The old bathtub as a symbol of destruction: The rusted and abandoned bathtub symbolizes destruction and the loss of stability. It becomes a metaphor for homes destroyed by war and broken lives.

It reflects both the physical and internal scars that war leaves on people. The child’s drawing of a rocket: The childlike drawing of a rocket directly points to the horrors of war, where rockets have become a harsh reality.

The drawing highlights the contrast between the innocence of childhood dreams of escape and the real rocket strikes that destroy lives. The rocket becomes a symbol of lost childhood innocence, as war forces children to confront brutal reality.

The juxtaposition of childhood and war: The contrast between the rusted bathtub and the naive rocket drawing emphasizes the conflict between the world of childhood and the horrors of war. War destroys children’s dreams, and this conflict on the canvas illustrates how childhood is shattered by cruel reality. Here, the rocket is not a symbol of space exploration but an instrument of destruction.

The cloth as a symbol of vulnerability and loss: The white cloth in the bathtub symbolizes human vulnerability in the face of war. It may reference shrouds used to cover the dead or represent the purity and innocence that vanish under the weight of violence. The cloth becomes a symbol of lost lives and crushed hopes.

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