Gray Wall explores the tension between individuality and conformity through self-portraiture. Shot on my Miami balcony using natural light, the project began during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown and has continued since 2022. Initially imagined as a public performance, it evolved into a private ritual—photographing myself when the light was just right, often under the gaze of neighbors. This ritual has outlived the pandemic, becoming a personal practice shaped by Miami’s soft and harsh light, echoing the emotional turbulence of trying to fit in. 

Growing up in Cyprus and later relocating to the U.S., I often suppressed my Greek identity to meet external expectations. By 50, I realized the cost of this erasure: a hollowing out of self. The white shirt, black mask, and digital distortions in the images symbolize conformity, routine, and the self-destructive pursuit of acceptance even through bodily transformation. But no mask or modification can erase one’s essence. 

Shadows on the balcony wall became a visual clock, marking time and mood. A gray wall from Cyprus appears in the series, anchoring its emotional arc. This persistent struggle cultivates a desire to become as featureless as a wall—dimensionless and stripped of identity. But life resists this transformation, and eventually, the wall turns gray. Ultimately, this work reflects the disillusioning journey of conformity and exposes the futility of hiding one’s true self in pursuit of societal acceptance.