This original oil painting, And I Gave Myself the Name and Waited for the Glory, but There Was Only Pain, is a haunting self-portrait that confronts identity, performance, and the crushing weight of perfectionism. The figure—submerged in waves rising from their own hair and encircled by grasping hands—embodies the quiet devastation of becoming a version of oneself that never truly fits.
Built through layered, expressive oil paint, the surface holds traces of addition, erasure, and reconstruction, echoing the tension of self-creation and the struggle to reconcile care for others with care for the self.
This work forms part of Barbosa’s ongoing exploration of queerness, internalised conflict, and transformation through visual confession.
Details
• Original oil painting
• 30 × 48 inches
• One-of-a-kind artwork
• Price: £10,000
This original oil painting, And I Gave Myself the Name and Waited for the Glory, but There Was Only Pain, is a haunting self-portrait that confronts identity, performance, and the crushing weight of perfectionism. The figure—submerged in waves rising from their own hair and encircled by grasping hands—embodies the quiet devastation of becoming a version of oneself that never truly fits.
Built through layered, expressive oil paint, the surface holds traces of addition, erasure, and reconstruction, echoing the tension of self-creation and the struggle to reconcile care for others with care for the self.
This work forms part of Barbosa’s ongoing exploration of queerness, internalised conflict, and transformation through visual confession.
Details
• Original oil painting
• 30 × 48 inches
• One-of-a-kind artwork
• Price: £10,000