In Cringe, the contorted body, folded in on itself, becomes the physical manifestation of the tension that arises whenever our certainties are challenged by what is unfamiliar and unknown. The work invites viewers to question the instinctive reactions that shape our relationship with others, suggesting that what we reject depends not only on the nature of the object of our aversion—which is, significantly, never depicted—but also on the limitations of our own perception. The subject's dramatic posture hints at how the attempt to protect one's sense of self from perceived external threats might ultimately become a prison.