"A Smile That Says It All – Or Does It?"

Smiles, a universal symbol of happiness, acceptance, and optimism, have become one of the most appreciated human gestures. We smile at babies, strangers, our dog, and even ourselves in the mirror. But does every smile truly reflect what is happening inside us? Or perhaps, many times, it is just an exterior mask that hides a different, more painful reality?

In our culture, a smile is often associated with beauty. It attracts, softens, and creates a sense of closeness. It's almost a social obligation. But this beauty is not always genuine. Often, a smile is a "beautiful mask" that conceals inner emptiness, deep pain, or emotional fractures. In my series of paintings, Shadows and It Came Out a Bit Sad, So I Put on a Smile, the smile serves as a dual symbol. It is both a shield and a disguise. It promises the world that everything is fine, even when the heart is screaming otherwise. This is a smile born out of pain, out of a desire to move forward, to believe that if we continue to project happiness, maybe it will eventually come.

A dear friend of mine left the country for an extended period, leaving behind a great emptiness and deep sadness. Before leaving, he entrusted me with a letter and a drawing of a zebra – the zebra that accompanies my artwork and represents my studio. But in his drawing, the zebra was sad, so he added a smile. There was something in this drawing that felt like a command: smile, even when you're sad. This experience gave birth to the It Came Out a Bit Sad, So I Put on a Smile series. For me, this series was a way of looking at pain, separation, and sadness. It was a creative process where I didn’t ignore the pain, but I also didn’t let it consume me. It wasn’t a fake smile, but a process of observation and acceptance. I smiled, but didn’t dismiss what I felt.

Emotionally, a fake smile is a defense mechanism. It keeps others from asking, "How are you really doing?" and prevents them from peering into the chaos within us. But the cost of this smile is not small. Psychologists talk about something called "emotional detachment" – when we smile without genuinely feeling it, we create a gap between what we feel and what we project. This gap can lead to increased pain, emotional isolation, and even depression.

The societal demand to smile in every situation is problematic. We live in a society that glorifies positivity but offers no room for pain. The smile has become a social command: "Don’t burden others," "Don’t be negative." This demand creates alienation and even judgment toward those who don’t meet these expectations.

In my painting, Everyone’s a Clown in His Show, I explore this topic – the masks we wear. The zebra’s face in this painting resembles that of the Joker – a wide smile that conveys anything but peace. In this painting, the smile is not just a mask, but a statement: how much do we feel the need to pretend in front of the world? How much does the smile we present really reflect what’s inside us?

Through my art, I speak about this phenomenon. In my work, the smile is a response to pain – but also a defiance against societal expectations, and even a form of healing. I want to remind people that pain is an inseparable part of the human experience, and that trying to hide it only deepens the wound. But not everything is negative. The fake smile is also a tool that helps us cope. It helps us move forward in difficult moments, focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, and build emotional resilience. The ability to smile even when we’re hurting is a statement of: "I won’t break."

In my Shadows series and in my personal portraits, the smile is the meeting point between what I choose to show the world and what I truly feel. The smile there allows me to create a space where I can feel everything – the pain, the fear, the joy, and the love, without falling into my inner demons. However, I ask myself: is the smile really for me, or is it meant to send a message to the world? Are we allowing ourselves to feel what we need to, or are we simply wearing a mask out of comfort and habit?

Through my art, I wish to say the simplest thing: be true to yourselves. Your smile can be truth, but it can also be a lie. It can be a tool, but it can also be a mask. The challenge is to ask yourself – am I smiling because I truly want to? Or because I "feel obligated"? My art doesn’t apologize. It shows the cracks and the process through which we learn to shine from within. And its message is simple – don’t be afraid to feel, don’t be afraid to show your truth, because even when everything isn’t okay, there is immense power in smiling – not for the world... but for yourself.