Traveler of Hüzün

Oil & Gold Leaf on Linen 
24"x 24" inches

Inspired by travels through Turkey during the Week of Peace, I wanted to capture a suspended moment between departure and belonging. The figure sits at a threshold — turning back toward what he may be leaving behind. His expression holds the tension of movement and memory: the desire to go, and the quiet fear of loss.

The title draws from the Turkish concept of hüzün — a collective, deeply rooted melancholy tied to history, longing, and place. It is not simply sadness, but a shared emotional atmosphere — a recognition of what has been, what is slipping away, and what must still be carried forward.

He becomes both witness and participant in the fragile balance between staying and stepping into the unknown.