This painting draws inspiration from a quiet moment with my children, whose closeness reminded me of my own childhood with my brother. The resemblance brought back memories of our upbringing in Argentina, by the river and amidst the mountains, reflected in the painting’s background. The landscape blends the past and present, with the river and mountains symbolizing both permanence and movement.

Created through a process of scratch painting, I layered thin coats of paint mixed with dry pigments, scratching back wet paint with the same brush to reveal earlier textures. This technique builds depth and a sense of history within the surface, connecting materiality with memory.

At the centre, two boys sit on a swing-like structure, embracing as they gaze into the murky water below. The fragments of broken bottles and uneven terrain evoke the environment of my childhood, while the bright mountains and tents suggest resilience and the constant search for belonging. Above, the phases of the moon symbolize cyclical time, echoing the painting’s themes of family, migration, and the connection between past, present, and future.