Trophy son, 60 x 50 cm, 2025, Acrylic and wallpaint on canvas

In “Trophy Son”, Abel Kabel confronts the painful complexities of identity, abandonment, and what it means to be seen - or unseen - by a parent. The title plays with contradiction. The word "trophy" might suggest pride, achievement, and admiration. But in this work, the term is redefined.

Here, the "trophy" is not earned, nor is it celebrated. The son in question does not fit traditional molds: he doesn’t perform expected chores or embody stereotypical masculinity. The work subtly alludes to the artist’s own experience as a trans man and the absence of paternal recognition, exploring how gender, rejection, and self-image intertwine.

Trophy Son becomes a statement of quiet resistance - against expectations, against absence, and against the idea that value is conditional. It is both a personal reflection and a broader challenge to the labels we inherit.

720€ + shipping