By Nguyen Khoi

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Acrylic on canvas

130cm x 90cm

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“Just as a physician might say that there is very likely not one single living human being who is completely healthy, so anyone who really knows mankind might say there is not one single living human being who does not…secretly harbor an unrest, an inner strife, a disharmony, an anxiety about an unknown something or something he does not even dare to try to know, an anxiety about some possibility in existence or an anxiety about himself…an anxiety he cannot explain.” (Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death)

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Self-portrait - dizziness of freedom is an abstract artwork painted with acrylic colors. The artwork reflects the anxiety about existence, as a reaction to the challenges and fears of freedom and responsibility, the conflict between the instinct for life and death. The right to freedom of choice seems infinite, with countless possibilities that could occur. Anxiety is often seen as negative, as a disease. However, anxiety is a fundamental part, deeply rooted in the human consciousness experience. Anxiety leads to the realization of one's true identity and a sense of freedom. The artist has used colors and tried to balance them in a state of anxiety about existence, depicting the true identity of oneself.