Ontheem (displaced) is a self-portrait that displays a sense of longing for something which may no longer exist. As the eyes are looking beyond the borders of the work, the viewer is invited to join in this longing.

Behind the subject’s face, the outlines of a farm map, which permeates itself in different forms across the artwork, forms the subject’s hair. Hair could be cut off and left behind, but some parts were also imprinted onto the subject’s face. The medium of ballpoint pen works to establish this notion, as every part of a work is etched out on paper, line for line.  The fineness of this work further establishes the influence that even the smallest event, such as the drawing of a line, could have on the end result. As each line takes time, so each moment adds to bringing a person to where they find themselves. Could the subject therefore be longing for a time, rather than a location, from where she has been displaced and even alienated?