Behind the Veneer (2025)

Behind the Veneer reflects on what remains hidden beneath the surface —the invisible layers of identity that are not shown, yet define who we are.

In this work, Plaza depicts a face that seems to fragment and reassemble between planes of color, transparencies, and glazes, as if painting itself were attempting to reveal what the individual conceals.

The title alludes both to the pictorial gesture and to an existential metaphor: the distance between the image we project and the inner truth that persists beneath it.

Organic forms dissolve among more structured areas, symbolizing the tension between authenticity and appearance, between living matter and the mask that covers it.

With this piece, Plaza brings the Inhabit series to its most introspective point —a space where painting becomes a mirror of the soul, and the pursuit of authenticity emerges as an act of freedom.

Series: Inhabit

Technique: oil paint with brushes and oil pastels

Support: canvas

Size: 60 x 76.5 X 1.5 CM | 24 X 30"

Date: June 2025

Location: Sydney (Australia)