Elen Bezhen’s "Portrait and Alley" is a striking image of a figure with vibrant red standing before an alleyway of trees with their hands clasped in prayer as they gaze solemnly, almost earnestly, at the viewer. The sharp features of this work come forth to the viewer in a clear, timeless way, the details definitive and moving. Often representing liminal spaces, the alley could be Bezhen’s way of showing the figure caught between moments and reaching out in reverence, perhaps to the natural world, for guidance.