This work features Nicolas wearing a tie and Ryan wearing a chain necklace, representing two different cultures of masculinity as they hold hands tightly. The piece was inspired by a book I was reading, in which a non-British author described the difficulty of being laughed at for holding hands with male friends, a gesture of friendship in his own country.

I found it interesting to observe how audience interpretations varied. Some thought the two figures were fighting, others saw them as expressing love, and some understood the gesture as a form of bondage.
This wide spectrum of readings reveals how much our perceptions of male intimacy are shaped by cultural codes, personal experiences, and unconscious biases.