Subterranean emanations, materializations of the Shadow Self. 

These are produced in sessions between the artist Pyra and subjects from various walks of life who are kept anonymous. The resulting portraits are identified only by key words or excerpts offered from a conscious reflection of their own 'inner demons' in interviews preceding the work.
 

Subjects are depicted in the essence of their turmoil, highlighting the gruesome beauty of mortal made monstrous where vulnerable; the strange and infernal reflections of Self rendered inescapable. 
 

The objective of this series is to raise awareness of internalized anguish, personal struggle and its commonality or relatability, without preoccupation of the mask - or Jungian concept of Persona which sits at the surface. 

Intriguing observations can be made of the distinction between each portrait and further, each set, as the project continues. 
 

This project initiated with private commissions from 2012 onward, expanding into the public arena as of 2020. 



Click on the collection images below to be taken into an examination of the individual 'demons' inhabiting each set.

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