“Hush, This Is Just a Dream”

By Daisy Quan

(click to enlarge)

Medium of Artwork:

Painting (Oil)

Dimension of Artwork:

30” x 68”

Artist Statement

“‘Hush, This Is Just a Dream’ is a personal exploration of how dreams distort, reveal, and conceal reality. Dreams are chaotic, unpredictable—sometimes childlike, sometimes eerie. They don’t follow logic, yet they often hold hidden truths. In this painting, each puzzle piece represents a latent part of real life: something unspoken, something unresolved, something slipping through the cracks of consciousness. Freud believed dreams were a way for the unconscious to speak in symbols, disguising real fears, desires, and memories. That’s exactly what’s happening here. The puzzle pieces float—lost in space—attempting to come together, never quite fitting. The mirror warps, bending reality. The faceless figures, disjointed hands, and surreal objects echo the way the mind scrambles emotions, turning them into strange, fragmented images. The lamb appears weightless, almost peaceful, yet something feels off. Does it feel safe, or does it feel lost? The strawberry—bright and ripe—should be comforting, yet in this dream world, it feels oversized, almost looming. Everything feels slightly familiar, but also distant, like trying to remember an object just out of reach. That’s the way dreams work. They utilize reality and emotions, twisting them, hiding their true meaning beneath layers of absurdity. More than anything, ‘Hush’ is about that in-between space: between knowing / not knowing, between past and present, between who you were and who you’ve become. The dream world doesn’t provide clear answers, just fragments. And, just like in life, we spend our time trying to put them together, hoping they’ll make sense. This piece speaks directly to the themes of Surrealism Tomorrow, engaging with the psychoanalytic roots of surrealism, while envisioning its future. By using dream logic, distorted realities, and subconscious symbols, ‘Hush’ challenges rationalism and invites the viewer to step into the unconscious. It reminds us that surrealism is not just about creating the impossible, but about uncovering the truths hidden beneath the surface.”