When Joy Wasn’t Mutual is a haunting celebration of love that was felt deeply by one — and worn loosely by the other. Two lovers laugh in full color, but beneath their shared embrace lies a dissonance — joy drawn from one side, emptiness growing on the other.

The bright colors seduce the eye, but they betray the truth: this wasn’t safety. It was performance. It was a man raised to give all he had — loyalty, peace, presence — to a woman still unsure if she ever wanted to receive it.

Macanjy draws from the most intimate corners of his life: from loving fully, faithfully, and spiritually — and still being met with distance.

The overlaid, translucent repetition of the figures suggests memory, repetition, and unresolved grief. This isn’t a portrait of a moment. It’s a portrait of a pattern.

Rooted in the unspoken trauma of childhood — where love was conditional, and being good didn’t guarantee being kept — this painting exposes how unresolved wounds seek healing in relationships… only to reopen deeper when love is unreturned.

Part of Silent Narrative: Echoes of the Unseen, this work is less about heartbreak and more about truth:

“He didn’t lose her. He lost the illusion.”

Collections: SILENT NARRATIVE: ehoes of the unseen

Subject Matter: Love, Betrayal, Joy as Illusion, Marriage, Emotional Abandonment, Black Masculinity, Healing Through Heartbreak

Current Location: Avant Garde Gallery Toronto

Credits

Anjola Adeniji