"I See You"

He is not looking into the distance.
He is looking at you.
And he has been this whole time.

I spent most of my life as the observer. Growing up across Nigeria, China, Ethiopia, and the United Kingdom, I was always the new kid, the outsider reading the room before I dared enter it. I learned early that if you watch carefully enough, you begin to understand people without ever having to ask.

Then I drew this gorilla. And for the first time, something looked back.

There is nothing cold in that gaze — coldness implies indifference. This is something else entirely. This is recognition. He sees you the way you have always wanted to be seen: fully, quietly, without judgement. As if he already knows everything about you and has decided you are worth his attention anyway.

When I showed this piece to a colleague, she cried. She couldn't explain why. I think I understand now. There is something devastating about being truly seen, especially by something that owes you nothing.

I titled this piece "I See You" because that is what he says. Not as a threat. Not as a challenge. Simply as a fact.

He sees you.

The question is — do you see yourself the way he does?

— Bidemio

All prints are on premium Hahnemühle 100% cotton rag archival paper, and are printed with archival pigmented inks.

Note: All print sizes come with an additional 1" white border, making a total size of: 10x12, 13x16, 18x22, 20x26, 26x38, 32x42. These borders give the collector the option of expanding their framing if they choose so. Each piece is hand signed by the artist on the additional border.