New York City shines with possibility, offering beauty, energy, and endless dreams. Yet beneath its vibrant surface lies a quiet suffocation shaped by high living costs, competition, and the weight of survival. The plastic bag over each figure’s head embodies the struggle to breathe within the city’s relentless pace, while the inverted smile reflects the façade of happiness often projected onto life here. This series is a poetic tribute to the contradictions of New York City—a place that inspires, overwhelms, and quite literally takes your breath away.