About this artwork

50 x 70 cm |Oil, newspaper, collage, spray, markers, texture on canvas | 2026

The Power of the Body explores physical strength as the beginning of personal mythology — the moment when ambition transforms into identity. The composition presents two temporal dimensions of the same figure, inspired by the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.
In the foreground, a young Ali faces the viewer with determination and raw potential. His gaze carries the tension of becoming — a moment suspended between dream and reality, where discipline, courage, and belief are still being forged. He represents the origin of power: the body as promise, effort, and relentless aspiration.
Behind him appears Ali as history remembers him — victorious, fulfilled, and iconic. The standing figure embodies achievement, resilience, and the transformation of physical strength into legacy. The contrast between youth and legend creates a visual narrative of growth, suggesting that true power is not a single moment of triumph but a journey shaped by perseverance.
Layered newspaper fragments reference collective memory and public myth-making, emphasizing how individual strength becomes part of cultural history. Stone-styled typography reinforces the idea of permanence — strength carved into time, solid and enduring. Texture, spray, and collage elements introduce movement and tension, echoing the energy of the fight and the chaos surrounding greatness.
The work inaugurates the series Icons of Power, which examines different dimensions of human power — the body, creation, and the mind — as interconnected forces shaping identity and legacy.