What It Means to Grow Old in the City

I was born in the city and have grown old in the city my entire life. What does it mean to age within the modern metropolis? Amidst the splendid lights, endless forest of buildings, and constantly shifting trends and technology, we gradually grow old. And we strive to live as if forgetting that fact, always pretending to be young.

This painting captures precisely that inner self of the city dweller. The city lights are brilliant but lonely, and though there are many people, they are solitary. A person leaning against a wall, a shadow gazing from afar, the void between the clouds and neon signs. I combined such scenes to paint a portrait of the city.

Aging is not merely about the passage of time. It is about things once familiar becoming strange, and seeing the world at my own unique pace. This painting speaks directly to that 'difference in speed'. The viewpoint of the one who walks slowly in a rapidly spinning world. That is the true meaning of growing old that I have discovered.