“The Elephant in the Room Next Door”, 150 × 95 cm, Oil, acrylics and colored pencil on canvas and Augmented Reality extension, 2026

This work explores the permeable boundaries of domestic life, filtered through Schnee’s perspective after nine months of motherhood. It examines the thin veil between the private chaos of home and the weight of what remains unspoken.

On the right, chaotic white scribbles on a dark background represent the "room next door." It is the site of raw, frantic energy - perhaps a heated argument between parents or the messy disarray of life with a child. Here, there is a desperate attempt to keep the noise contained and stay quiet, protecting the privacy of the home or the sleep of a baby.

On the left, the dark, organic form represents the elephant in the room. It embodies the heavy mental load of motherhood, but also acts as the "unintended witness." It is the uncomfortable presence of someone who hears everything despite the efforts for secrecy. It represents the realization that tension cannot be walled off; it permeates the space, turning the listener into a heavy, silent participant in the conflict next door.

Through Augmented Reality (AR), the narrative resolves. The green form slowly begins to fade and disappear from the room. It moves as if it is consciously withdrawing, trying to grant the people in the "other room" the privacy they are struggling to maintain, illustrating our constant effort to navigate the boundaries of a shared, often crowded reality.

By scanning the artwork through the Artivive app, you can view the augmented reality extension of the painting. You can see this in the video below, and you can also try downloading Artivive and testing it out on your screen.

4.410€ + shipping