The age of expectation
Acrylic on canvas, 2025
This work explores the increasing exposure of children to expectations that far exceed their cognitive capacity. Within a modern context, the younger generation faces a multitude of responsibilities and pressures placed upon them, driven by the belief that starting early will make them more prepared and successful in life. The resulting anxiety, combined with a lack of autonomy to simply ‘act their age’, drives many young people toward early burnout and depression, leaving them unable to truly form a sense of identity outside the pressure of a judgemental societal gaze. The juxtaposition of paper airplanes—commonly associated with playfulness—emerging from a business suitcase suggests the intrusion of adult responsibilities, symbolising the conventional 9–5 work life. Shrouded in darkness, the child appears trapped within his own mind, unable to find a sense of peace, overcome with sadness, and frozen within the weight of expectation.
This work explores the increasing exposure of children to expectations that far exceed their cognitive capacity. Within a modern context, the younger generation faces a multitude of responsibilities and pressures placed upon them, driven by the belief that starting early will make them more prepared and successful in life. The resulting anxiety, combined with a lack of autonomy to simply ‘act their age’, drives many young people toward early burnout and depression, leaving them unable to truly form a sense of identity outside the pressure of a judgemental societal gaze. The juxtaposition of paper airplanes—commonly associated with playfulness—emerging from a business suitcase suggests the intrusion of adult responsibilities, symbolising the conventional 9–5 work life. Shrouded in darkness, the child appears trapped within his own mind, unable to find a sense of peace, overcome with sadness, and frozen within the weight of expectation.
