The dream of breaking the cycle, reflections of hopeful futures, personal identities within social classes and hierarchies. Rena Chheang's paintings investigate the lives of women in a Cambodian city, the condition of its inhabitants and their different and highly individual paths to development and happiness. The women portrayed in each of the paintings are naked and exposed showing frailty and vulnerability. The idea of being buried and suppressed echoes throughout her portraits and abstract pieces. Her canvas aims to be a visual poetry, a storytelling tool of the social and political awareness of a woman’s struggles; i.e domestic abuse, unequal rights, and forced labor. The colors are disorganized and chaotic, yet vibrant and fresh. In the midst of turmoil there is hope for change.