Cuffed

Leigh Salgado

10” x 10” round

Hand-cut paper & acrylic on round panel

Leigh Salgado’s “Cuffed” is an intricate interrogation of power, control, and femininity, rendered with the artist’s signature precision in hand-cut paper and acrylic. The work juxtaposes the delicacy of lace and floral motifs with the stark presence of handcuffs—objects synonymous with restraint, authority, and submission. Suspended within a labyrinthine web of undulating black ribbons and gilded patterns, the cuffs become both a literal and symbolic focal point, entangled in a world of ornamentation that refuses passivity.

The tension in “Cuffed” is palpable: lace, traditionally associated with fragility and refinement, appears ensnared in the grip of these metallic forms, yet remains unyielding, its patterns continuing undisturbed. Salgado’s play of light and shadow, along with her meticulous excision of negative space, heightens this duality—entrapment and agency, violence and beauty, vulnerability and resilience. In this small but potent composition, “Cuffed” confronts the complexities of constraint, making the viewer question whether these bonds are imposed or chosen, oppressive or seductive.