“Stage 1 | Actualization” conveys the chaos that arises when resources are scarce and unevenly distributed. Layered and knotted text forms a visual tangle—suggesting that the barriers to progress are far more complex than they appear. Scattered icons reference deficits in essential supports such as childcare, communication, nutrition, financial stability, healthcare, education, transportation, shelter, and utilities, illustrating how cumulative shortages constrain potential and perpetuate inequality.

Part of the MyPOP (My Print on Poverty) collection, this work examines the contradictions between idealized prosperity and lived experience. Through visual metaphors of disruption and endurance, the series reveals the intricate social structures that shape mobility and the human capacity to persist within them.

The surface is coated with a malleable wax texture, symbolizing both preservation and transformation. Distressed collage layers serve as narrative tools—representing barriers, erosion, and the tension between scarcity and resilience.