Description

About artwork: Self Portrait

Natalia Kostaki  is a Greek- Russian contemporary  artist. She lives in Athens and is best known for her vivid, brightly –hued paintings that invite a broader understanding of symbolic paintings. She has developed a unique visual aesthetic. Melding iconography, design, art-historical and mythological motifs, and personal experience, the artist creates densely patterned works. Utilizing geometric shapes and colourful graphics, the artist creates optically  compelling visual effects.

The painting captivates with a labyrinth, a pipe, a door, in-between – a human face. The elements point towards self identification and the face is mirroring the artist’s face. The self portrait is the most challenging image to produce of all, and this is due to the fact that we always have difficulties to encounter ourselves directly. As much as reality is always subjective, since the first person perspective is not to be separated from it, as much is self perception always obscured to a great part. There are numerous blind spots when it comes to trying to recognize who we are – to produce a self portrait as a ‘look from the outside’, is therefore a continuous struggle.