Rain Bordo

This is a captivating work by Mateo Balaban, known as Rain Bordo, and it radiates such raw, visceral energy that immediately draws you in.
The painting is dominated by an intense, sun-drenched yellow that feels almost overwhelming – like staring directly into light or emotion itself. This luminous field is disrupted by horizontal streaks and marks in deep burgundy, crimson, blue, and black, creating a sense of visual distortion or interference. It’s as if you’re looking at something beautiful through a damaged lens, or trying to perceive clarity through waves of disruption.
What strikes me most is the text scrawled across the canvas: “DISTORTION OF HAPPINESS.” These words aren’t merely a title – they’re integrated into the work itself, becoming part of the emotional landscape. They speak to something deeply human: the way our joy can be compromised, altered, or fragmented by life’s experiences, trauma, or mental states.
The horizontal distortions remind me of glitches in digital media, signal interference, or the way memories can become corrupted or unclear over time. There’s a technological quality to it, yet the expressionistic brushwork keeps it deeply human and tactile. The artist’s signature “Rain” appears at the bottom left, anchoring this emotional storm.
The figure or forms that seem to emerge from the yellow – those darker shapes that could be a person or faces – feel like they’re simultaneously appearing and dissolving, present yet obscured. It’s haunting in its ambiguity.
This piece speaks to the complexity of human emotion, suggesting that happiness isn’t always pure or clear – it can be distorted by anxiety, depression, past wounds, or the very act of trying too hard to grasp it. There’s both beauty and pain here, held in tension, which makes it profoundly relatable and moving.