“Migration I” is the first in a series exploring the complex and deeply personal question: What is home? This painting reflects on the impact of migration on the individual—capturing the tension between memory and adaptation, between holding on and letting go. The two contrasting background colours represent the past and the present (or perhaps the uncertain future), with the figure suspended between them, visually and emotionally. Painted in a style of abstracted realism, the work blends precise portraiture with expressive abstraction. The background fades in and out, mirroring the fragmentation of memory and identity, while thick, drippy markings run through the canvas—echoing the bleeding hearts and fluid passage of time that migration so often entails. At the heart of the work is a checkered blanket, a recurring motif throughout the series. It once belonged to my mother and has accompanied me through every place I’ve lived—a constant amid change. Since her passing, it has come to symbolise comfort, memory, and the idea of home itself. The painting speaks to the feelings of displacement, loneliness, and struggle that often come with migration, but also the resilience, new opportunities, and quiet strength found in preserving one’s identity and traditions within unfamiliar landscapes.