Aquarius is a triptych of self-portraits depicting the evolution of my self-image and the symbolisation of my inner world, spiritual, fictitious and intimate, drawing on astrology and symbolism. It started as a way to documents changes I went through during a time of reflecting and spiritual discoveries, and culminated into three paintings of 2 x .75 meters.

I used the symbol of Aquarius, the Water-Carrier, who receives and pours water out of two vases, as a metaphor for the inner transformation I had to make from the abuse I suffered to the kindness I want to embody. It feels logical to end my experience of school with this project on self-reflection, as it was school that marked me in the worst way in my formative years.

The paintings each represent an alternate self, either ruled by one aspect of the zodiac (sun/moon/rising) or different levels of the development of my consciousness and spirituality. The first one could be a corporeal self looking to untie blockages in love and intimacy; the second one experiences and makes sense of the world with their strong imagination, and the third one has achieved a higher state of consciousness through this imagination.

The works that had first inspired this project were 19th century historical paintings and portraits from the romanticist, pre-raphaelite and symbolist movements; their influence can be found in the change of format and in the poses of the figures I painted, as well as in the use of gold leaf and astronomic symbols. This work plays around the themes of body image, costume, colour, sexuality and kink, astrology and spirituality.