Stories: Leo & Neil Collection

Artipodean
Jan 12
2 min read

12 January 2026 In 30 abstract works, the Leo & Neil collection maps the quiet erosion of long-term partnership through intimate moments that feel both specific and universal.

Each piece captures a fleeting moment of subtle change. The imperceptible ways partners often trade parts of self for belonging. A dream deferred, passions abandoned for partnership, the silent inventories kept, cultural identities negotiated away through small daily accommodations. The ways partners slowly let go of ‘me’ to become ‘us’.

Artistic Approach

Each artwork pairs a two-sentence narrative with an original abstract composition in gouache watercolour. The stories or 'chapters' alternate between Leo and Neil's perspectives, creating a dialogue of observation and self-reflection across the collection's 30 pieces. The visual works employ gestural marks, colour fields, and intentional erasures to embody loss and transformation.

Through the brevity of each narrative, the collection reduces emotional experience, inviting contemplation rather than explanation. This restraint reflects how we often recognise profound change in fleeting moments. The compressed storytelling highlights what remains unsaid, acknowledging that some truths about partnership live in the spaces between words.

Structure and Movement

The collection progresses from external sacrifices (rejected career opportunities, family exclusions, lost friendships) through internal diminishments (abandoned creative practices, erased cultural traditions, silenced curiosities) and questions the cost of partnership.

Strategic moments of hope and reconnection punctuate the series: Leo finding his voice again in community choir, bridges being rebuilt with estranged family members, and acknowledging that long-term love contains multitudes. Grief and joy. Resignation and renewal. Silence that means intimacy and silence that means indifference.

The final piece returns Leo and Neil to their porch at sunset, contemplating the dangerous question neither asks aloud. This unanswered inquiry invites viewers into their own reflection about partnership's necessary sacrifices.

The STORIES Series

Leo & Neil launches the STORIES series. An ongoing exploration of human relationships through paired narrative and abstract visual art. Each collection examines different aspects of connection, loss, and transformation, creating a permanent archive of intimate human experience on the blockchain.

This collection questions the cost of partnership and asks: What do we lose when we love? What do we gain? And which questions do we leave unasked because the answers might demand too high a price?