Traditionally, Pride (Superbia) was considered the gravest of the Seven Deadly Sins: the elevation of self above God and the rejection of external authority. For centuries, this idea was used to condemn identities and relationships that existed outside accepted religious and social norms.
Pride 2025 reclaims that narrative.
Constructed from poured acrylics, wax, spray paint, pastel and mixed media, the skull is formed from the colours of the rainbow—a symbol of LGBTQ+ visibility, liberation and self-determination. Here, the rainbow becomes both halo and declaration. What was once framed as sinful arrogance is transformed into an affirmation of the right to define one’s own identity.
The work embraces pride not as superiority, but as resistance: a refusal to allow institutions, traditions or prejudices to determine who one may love, desire or become.
Yet the colours are partially obscured by veils of spray paint that interrupt and mute the spectrum. These interventions acknowledge that progress remains incomplete. Discrimination, intolerance and violence continue to cast shadows across lives that should be lived openly and freely.