Ascension, Oil on Canvas 60 × 80 cm, Aaron Stewart, Kenya

This painting is an amalgamation of Aaron´s experiences with the local fig trees that twine like staircases and the journey of a girl. It is an intent for a better future and the journey of an individual who can realise their dreams. It follows the specific experience of a young girl who aspires to achieve a better life by attending a functioning school. But as she ascends she has her feet bare, in contact with the ground and reality. This is an intentional symbolism that he has been developing to help illustrate a sense of connection. The idea is that our minds are not necessarily abstracted from reality. The forms of the trees are very much based on specific trees found in the grounds of her former dysfunctional school. The experience of constructing the sculpture was informative in joining the nature of stairs with that of how trees themselves ascend.