In ancient Thai belief, the Nāga is neither beast nor god — a sacred being bound between realms. It longs for humanity, not out of vanity, but out of hope: for only as a human can one walk closest to Samsara, to gather merit and finally transcend the endless cycle of rebirth.

Yet for a female Nāga, the blessing is fragile. Even after countless lifetimes of devotion and ascetic practice, she may awaken as a human only to feel her scales shimmer beneath her skin once more — a reminder that liberation is fleeting.

This artwork embodies that moment of awakening and despair — the instant she realizes she is returning to her former form. The mosaic texture upon her face and body is not merely ornamentation; it represents the sacred scales resurfacing, each shard reflecting a fragment of her struggle, faith, and sorrow.

The tears that flow from her eyes are not of weakness but of remembrance — of vows made, of the unreachable light of Nirvana glimpsed for just a breath. She is both divine and broken, radiant and undone.

“The Unbecoming” speaks to the injustice of cycles — to those who strive for purity yet are pulled back by destiny’s design. It is a meditation on impermanence, identity, and the ache of being almost free.

Within her gaze lives both rebellion and surrender: the beauty of knowing one’s fate and the courage to face it, again and again.