As we were traveling across Mexico this past fall, my friends and I noticed groups of men standing around in parking lots and various other public places. They appeared to be waiting for something. What are they waiting for? we wondered aloud. It was a short leap from what are they waiting for to the larger psychological question, What are any of us waiting for? Whether it is to leave a job, get married, pursue a dream, travel, or take any number of other big and small steps, we all wait—sometimes until we have courage or “permission,” or sometimes until we’ve had enough of the status quo. Sometimes the wait is short; sometimes the wait never ends.
We began thinking about other questions that have a larger psychological edge. What Are We Searching For? and Where Are We Going were two such powerful, opened-ended questions. In the WAWSF piece, I have left the figures intentionally ambiguous. Are they contemplative or lost? Is the man to the left taking off a mask or putting one on? They all have shadows with one exception. Some are in boxes and some are not. Did they put themselves in these boxes? Did someone or something else put them there? Are they confined or is it an illusion? There are also references to time, freedom, power, journey and career. The piece feels almost dream-like to me even though this was not my original intention.
What Are We Waiting For
What Are We Searching For