In Subtraction, portraiture and identity are challenged by an intimate, yet anonymous depiction of the body. Use of the silhouette makes the work relatable, through which both the artist and audience can begin to channel and deconstruct, amplified by the mask-like quality of the figure’s face.

The materiality of the piece, shown through layered colour and texture, implies a ritualistic flow of creation. Using paint to mask the subject appears to remove layers of constructed identity that are in contact with the external world, emphasising the friction between the physical human touch and our desire to rationalise the ephemerality of the digital medium.