Protraction is an abstract oil painting, inspired by an art installation by Ai Weiwei in the Alcatraz island in San Francisco, where he showcased the political repression in the world and the insuppressible yearning for freedom and self-expression, and self-determination. The vivid image of the peeling paint of the narrow prison cells juxtaposed with the sunshine cast through the barriers. This image aptly describes how many people feel today, who suffer from the pressing mental and physical confinement, the censorship and self-censorship, the socio-economic limitations, and the political repressions; and instead of all doom and gloom, there is always a sense of defiance, and a ray of hope. Not to let the hope die, not to surrender to suppression. Together, we can overcome the adversaries and build a better collective future. 

This painting was published by Reed Magazine in May 2026, Issue 159.