Queen of Chaos – Yellow, Black & Grey | Markers on Paper (2025) Tekening door Nolan Trace

"Mania: Crowned in Chaos" is a conceptual psycho-art illustration created by a practicing psychiatrist and artist, reflecting the manic syndrome as a powerful but destructive mental state. The work conveys the clinical and emotional aspects of mania: expansive mood, accelerated thinking, motor hyperactivity, hyper self-esteem and possible episodes of anger.
In the centre is a symbolic figure of mania in a meditative pose, illustrating imagined harmony and physical well-being amidst inner chaos.
Four wings sprout from the eyes, reinforcing the image of elevation and emotional uplift characteristic of a manic episode. The mechanical elements in the wings emphasise the unnatural and debilitating nature of this state.
The motorbikes at the sides are directly connected to the arms and head - as a visual metaphorical engine of hyperactivity, rapidity of ideas and switchability.
The right hand holds a globe - a symbol of megalomania, a sense of control over the world. The extra hand illustrates multitasking and chaotic productivity.
Special attention is paid to the tape of memories: one of the motorbikes is connected to a reel on which warm, sunny images of the past are wound. But the acceleration of mania "unwinds" them, exhausting the psyche and replacing personal connections with a turbulent stream of ideas.
The figure of mania is fragmented and exhausted, symbolising the debilitating effects of the syndrome despite its outward brightness.
On his head is a crown growing exponentially as anger and a sense of superiority.
At the base of the composition is a flame consuming cities: the outcome of the destructive power of an uncontrollable manic high.
"I have many ideas, I remember everything, I don't need sleep or food, everything is bright, everything is mine..." - from a patient's recollection.
У. Shakespeare, Macbeth: "I would be in full fervour. Almost on the run I leapt across space and time."
The work is part of the author's cycle "Atlas of Madness", in which the artist and psychiatrist visualises mental disorders at the intersection of medicine, symbolism and contemporary art. This illustration helps the viewer not only to feel the psychological state of mania, but also to realise its devastating consequences.

"Materials: Touch Twin alcohol markers, Posca acrylic marker.
Basis: watercolour paper 100% cotton, cold pressed, density 300 g/m²
Technique: mixed technique (markers on paper)
Size: 25 × 25 cm
Decoration: without frame, without pasparte.
Originality: author's original work in a single copy.
Signature: author's signature on the front side
Year of creation: 2025
Style: conceptual surrealism / psychoart
Certificate: enclosed is a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist
Storage recommendations: store in a dry room protected from direct sunlight; it is recommended to place under glass with a UV filter.
Packaging and shipping: Packed in a hard cardboard envelope, wrapped in protective bubble wrap. "

Verwante thema's

Mania ArtBipolar Disorder ArtMental Health IllustrationPsychoartConceptual Surrealism