Ten Souls is a series of ten figurines that reflects on the quiet qualities sustaining us. Each sculpture embodies a fundamental human desire: joy, grace, love, strength, home, balance, peace, kindness, courage, and independence. Together, they form a constellation of inner states shaping how we live and relate to one another.
The series is informed by social researcher Hugh Mackay’s exploration of the core desires that drive human behaviour: our need to belong, to be taken seriously, to feel safe, to connect, to have purpose, to grow, to exercise agency, to experience change, and ultimately, to love. These shared longings underpin our social lives and personal choices.
In Ten Souls, I translate these universal desires into physical form. Modest in scale yet emotionally resonant, the figurines stand as quiet presences, reminders of what we seek and what we already carry within us. Together, they suggest that beneath our differences, we are sustained by the same enduring hopes.