The sculpture can be traced back to the early years of Monahan's practice. He kept working on the heads on paper to such an extent that they eventually bulged and almost tore due to the extensive erasing and adding of new lines. This is how the first sculptures in his oeuvre came about. After almost 20 years, the artist found the perfect material to allow these previously very fragile works to retain the energy they had on paper. By using stainless steel foil which he first paints with oil paint and then folds by hand, the artist brings the face to life with folds and creases. Monahan regularly chooses classical materials such as Japanese paper and bronze, but uses them in an innovative way, such as painting steel with oil paint and folding it. This tension between the new and the classical in technique and subject matter has always been of interest to Monahan, both in art history and in his own oeuvre.