The Exodus (work in progress) is a love poem captured on the A train in New York City. Filmed in motion, I was captivated by the rhythm of the train, the flicker of tunnel lights, and the presence of three empty seats before me. In that moment, they transformed into a moving Mark Rothko painting — vibrating with memory, colored by the lives that once occupied them. Frida Kahlo once wrote, “I hope the exit is joyful — and I hope never to return.” Her words echo through the work, raising questions for artists in this demanding city: Must we endure perpetual pain and struggle to create? When is it time to walk away, if ever? Is it nobler to save ourselves or to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of art? There is nothing like New York, and I am deeply grateful to have breathed her in. Yet the world, after all, is a bigger apple. In time, we each move on, leaving a fragment of ourselves behind — perhaps on a seat of the A train, still humming with our presence.