DON'T LIE

Acrylic
88 x 95 cm 

Don’t Lie confronts the quiet performance people often make with their emotions. It speaks to the moments when we display feelings that are socially acceptable rather than the ones that are truly present inside us.

The painting questions the habit of pretending — smiling when we are not happy, appearing calm when something inside us is unsettled. It invites the viewer to pause and reflect on how often emotion becomes a form of performance, shaped by expectation rather than honesty.

The yellow background functions as a metaphorical sun. Just as sunlight illuminates everything beneath it, the color suggests a force that reveals what lies underneath our performed expressions — the emotions we attempt to hide.

Through its form and gesture, Don’t Lie calls for emotional truth. It suggests that authenticity begins the moment we stop acting and allow ourselves to feel what is actually there.

The work becomes a reminder that real emotion does not need to be staged or perfected — it only needs to be acknowledged.