The piece reflects the experience of being “tongue-tied,” where words become trapped between internal chaos and external expectations.

The bold colours immediately draw the viewer in, yet the figure’s direct, unwavering stare turns the gaze back onto the audience. The tongue becomes a symbolic point of rupture, caught between expression and suppression.

The delicate thread trailing to the mouth suggests how thoughts, past experiences, and societal pressures intertwine to restrict speech. The stone becomes a visual metaphor for the weight of overthinking, self-doubt, and inherited fears that often stop us from saying what we truly want to say.