Julia Frank

Tecnica: oil on paper with the addition of a layer of fabric

Anno: 2026

Dimensione: 100 x 70 cm

Descrizione: This painting embodies the simultaneous presence of a decision that remains entirely unresolved. To cut or not to cut — once articulated through language, the question already implies a hierarchy, as one option must inevitably be named before the other. In this visual composition only the question itself exists. Both potential outcomes remain equally present, culminating in the title, High Costs Anyway. The work suggests that both choices — letting go and continuing to carry the emotional burden — ultimately exact the same price. Neither offers relief; each entails its own form of loss. The relationship between mother and son emphasizes the profound intimacy of this bond, while the umbilical cord functions as a metaphorical lifeline connecting them. The mother is depicted as perpetually young, emotionally suspended at the moment of childbirth, whereas the son has grown into adulthood yet remains dependent upon the very veins that sustain him. Although the mother–son relationship serves as a paradigmatic example of such attachment, the work extends beyond this specific constellation. It speaks equally to intimate partnerships and to any relationship in which emotional dependency becomes so deeply rooted that separation carries a cost equal to remaining entangled.
The painting is obscured by a veil that alludes to the concept of the Veil of Ignorance, introduced by the philosopher John Rawls in his influential thought experiment on justice. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls argues that the principles governing a just society should be formulated from an “original position,” in which individuals are deprived of knowledge about their own social status, abilities, interests, or identities. By analogy, the veil covering the painting invites viewers to suspend identification with one position or perspective represented within the work. The observer is encouraged to engage with it from a position of openness and impartiality.