· Artist: Paige Bradley (USA)

· Dimensions: 36 x 47 x 21 in

· Medium - Bronze, Electricity and Mixed Media

· Origin: USA

· Currently placed: At a private collection in NYC

Expansion is a very powerful piece Some people see a woman bleeding light when they look at it, the others see a woman transcending, turning into the light with her inner power. This unique sculpture in combination with the title "Expansion" communicates its intended message in the best possible way. Do not be afraid to expand beyond your body and social structures. When the time is right, sometimes we have to crack open our own rigid structures and express our inner self and emotions.

Initially, Expansion was a clay sculpture, and the artist had spent months fine tuning it. A woman meditating in lotus position, which she let shatter into pieces, then casts it again in bronze and placed the shattered remains of the initial version on top of it. The final detail was the inner lighting fixtures, which create this stunning effect of the inner glow which emanate through the cracks.

The backstory to the artist creating this stunning work of art is one of the changes and overcoming. She conceived the idea when she first moved to Manhattan, by the time, it was difficult for the artists who worked with figurative arts to find a place to exhibit, therefore, many of them started teaching. She realized, that if she wanted to stay in fine arts, she needed to make contemporary art.

The artist, Paige Bradley is an American sculptor, born in 1974, known for her representative figurative bronzes. Paige knew she would be an artist by the age of 9. Immersed in nature and art, Bradley's fascination with the human figure began early. She believed that through the figure an artist could speak a universal language that is timeless and essential.

To quote the artist, "From the moment we are born, the world tends to have a container already built for us to fit inside: A social security number, a gender, a race, a profession or an I.Q. I ponder if we are more defined by the container we are in, rather than what we are inside. Would we recognize ourselves if we could expand beyond our bodies? Would we still be able to exist if we were authentically un-contained?". This is the irony of containment. As long as we don't push on the walls of our surroundings, we may never know how strong we really are.

Manesha Peiris (2021)