The Shadow Wins

The Shadow Wins
Acrylic, Oil, and Pastel on Canvas (16x24 inches)
Created in Mexico City, 2025

The Shadow Wins explores the unavoidable presence of the Shadow, the unconscious aspects of the psyche described by Carl Jung that are often denied, repressed, or disowned. Rather than portraying the Shadow as something evil or destructive, this painting presents it as persistent, expressive, and ultimately honest.

Gestural marks, smeared forms, and bleeding colors suggest emotions and impulses that resist containment. Figures appear fragmented and partially obscured, as if emerging and retreating simultaneously. This visual instability mirrors the way the Shadow operates within the psyche, surfacing when ignored and asserting itself when pushed aside.

The title reflects a Jungian truth: the Shadow “wins” not by overpowering consciousness, but by demanding acknowledgment. What is not integrated will act out. In this work, the Shadow is not defeated or resolved; it is visible, active, and present. The painting suggests that growth begins not with control, but with recognition, and that wholeness comes from allowing the unseen parts of the self to be witnessed rather than suppressed.