Ruben Orgye

The gaze lies at the centre of this tension. Orgye depicts the act of watching and being watched as an exchange of power and fragility: the eye seduces, judges, demands attention, but also reveals fear, desire, and loneliness. Considering this, his painting engages with the era of digital overexposure, where the self becomes an image and external recognition shapes intimacy. His figures hover between presence and absence, as if the watcher’s gaze were both mirror and threat. Through layers, veils, and direct gestures, Orgye offers a contemporary reading of the individual: masks that promise belonging, yet often end up replacing our personal essence with a representation designed for society.