The Journey Through Blue

$10,000

63in x 69in
Acrylic on canvas
Robel Solomon Teweldemedhin

In “The Journey Through Blue,” the delicate balance of life and death unfolds in a visual journey where hope and despair intertwine. A baby rests in a fragile basket, embodying innocence, tethered by toes that symbolize death’s quiet pull, evoking the inescapable fate of those who embark on the dangerous path of migration. The balance between vibrant hues and muted grays constructs a world both rich and desolate, reflecting the emotional tension of this voyage. The distortion of depth while creating a flatness mirrors the fractured realities of displacement, where time and space seem both stretched and compressed. Wet clothes hang lifelessly, marking the fine line between birth and death, echoing Tigrinya cultural rituals—washed after seven days for birth and twelve for mourning. The landscape is littered with symbols—a faceless woman in black mourning the lost generation, a white hand clutching a branch of hope amid chaos, and scattered poems and cultural songs interwoven to add layers of humility and bittersweet sarcasm. These elements ground the piece in the poignant narrative of a people torn by the violent upheaval of migration, yet still reaching for a fragile promise of renewal.