Selected Works
The Tethered Self
Daniel Mazzone
- Medium
- Collage on wood
- Dimensions
- 72 × 60 in
- Availability
- Available — Inquire
Concept
The girl stands centered against a blue background, a color often associated with calmness, introspection, and emotional depth. Despite the peaceful atmosphere, she is not entirely free. Her ponytail, an extension of her identity and individuality, is wrapped around her own neck and held by an unseen hand emerging from outside the frame. The instrument of restraint is not separate from her; it is part of her. The work suggests that what confines us is often woven into the identities we have built through fear, expectation, habit, and the desire to belong. Above her hangs a feather suspended by fishing line. Traditionally a symbol of freedom and possibility, it is revealed to be carefully controlled, transforming hope into a lure rather than a destination. The freedom she reaches for may not be her own, but one defined by invisible influences. The unseen hand and fishing line remain anonymous, representing the countless forces that quietly shape our lives: culture, family, relationships, technology, memory, and the beliefs we inherit without question. Yet the work is not about hopelessness. It is about awareness. Freedom may not begin when the strings are cut. It may begin the moment we recognize they exist.
