2025 · Oil on Canvas · 65cmx100cm
London, Ontario, Canada
Creating myself, standing in the world
In 2016, I visited the Louvre in Paris for the first time.
The light and the space there felt timeless, as if everything had slowed down. Each sculpture stood in silence, holding a kind of quiet knowledge.
That day, I photographed the back of a sculpture called Marcellus.
When the film was developed, I almost held my breath. The flow of the lines, the angle of the shoulders, the curve of the spine—everything felt precise and calm, yet deeply alive. I later named that photograph Perfection.
From that moment on, the image stayed with me.
It became a quiet light in my mind, guiding my thoughts about wholeness, strength, and presence.
Years later, in early 2025, I learned that the NPCC exhibition in Toronto was calling for submissions. The theme was “Be Creative, Be You, Be All In!”
Those words felt personal, almost like a whisper: create, be honest, and don’t hold back.
Immediately, the image of Marcellus returned to me—not as a sculpture, but as a feeling. I knew this was the work I needed to paint.
In Still, I Stand, the figure is upright.
The shoulders lean slightly back. The face is not fully shown, yet the body speaks clearly. There is no dramatic movement, no performance—only the quiet statement of being present.
As a gay man, I am deeply aware of how the male body is seen, judged, admired, or questioned.
For a long time, standing openly—physically and emotionally—has not always felt safe. This painting is not about protest, but about dignity. It is about claiming space without apology, about existing without explanation.
Painting this figure felt like carving myself into the canvas.
Each layer of oil was not only about form, but about experience—learning when to soften, when to hold firm, and when to simply remain.
When the work was accepted and invited to be exhibited by NPCC, I felt a quiet confirmation. Creation is not only expression; it is connection. It brings together memory, identity, and lived life into one standing form.
Still, I Stand is both a beginning and a reminder for me.
True creation is not about copying perfection. It is about turning an inner image into something real—and having the courage to stand fully in it, as yourself.
— Percy Lin