Allegory of Autonomy

The Allegory of Autonomy

Painting my friend and fellow artist, Simpson Myers, as The Allegory of Autonomy emerged from a vision — one that echoes the ongoing struggle for women’s sovereignty over their own bodies. In the wake of Roe’s overturning and the relentless oppression of women in places like Afghanistan, the urgency of this work burns ever brighter. How is it that in 2025, we’re still fighting for rights we should have never had to beg for — and worse, witnessing them stripped away?

It’s ludicrous.

It’s infuriating.

It’s reality.

The Allegory of Autonomy is a goddess born of this fire. She rises with love and fury in equal measure — a divine force of peace and power. A raven, perched by her side, whispers a message of hope. Etched on her left collarbone, a tattoo in Arabic reads “Women, Life, Freedom” — a rallying cry echoed from the mountains of Kurdistan to the streets of Tehran.

She tramples through the wreckage of patriarchy — not delicately, but decisively — reclaiming the sacred space of womanhood. Her face and heart weep blue — the long, unending tears of sisters across generations, mourning, resisting, rising. Every drip is a story. Every step, a revolution.

This is not just a portrait.

It is a prayer.

A battle cry.

A love letter to autonomy.

Oil on canvas

121 x 91 cm