UKRAINE
Paintings By Kate Bortsova
Words by Kate Bortsova
March 2020
This work was made during time spent at one of the Canarias Islands. This Island situated far from touristic places. So I made this work being in double selfisolation – one – official quarantine; second – geographical and social distance. In this work I displayed allegory to our life; her cyclic recurrence.
Kate Bortsova, Dance of Life, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 250 cm, March 2020
Kate Bortsova, Selfie. Vanity Fair, oil on canvas, 160 x 260 cm, March 2020
Modern society is permeated by a virus of self-admiration. The apogee of this disease was expressed in general selfie-addiction. What does a modern person do when he or she sees a non-standard and sometimes dangerous situation? He is in a hurry to help, no; he photographed it on his or her gadget.
In my work I display our society at the time of his narcissism. Each of the heroes of the picture froze in a bizarre pose, each of them wants to capture himself as beautifully as possible and it does not matter that the photo is taken next to the dying man. After all, they see in him only beautiful flesh. At the same time, the viewer sees this situation from the outside - these are unnatural people in silly poses. It is no coincidence that the work consists of three separate parts. Thus, I wanted to draw a parallel with the medieval winged altarpiece, to show what our society has come to. In the foreground we see the figure of a dying colossus - as a symbol of a passing era and its ideals. This hero represents a perfect image based on the aesthetics of the Renaissance. The viewer can draw a parallel and compare how our society has changed and what is really important for a modern person.
Kate Bortsova, Quarantine Time, oil on canvas, 110 x 90 cm, March 2020
In April 2020 I started a series of portraits reflecting the internal state of a person in self isolation. This period prompted me to create a series of portraits. In them I want to convey my perception of this situation through the images of different people. I continue to work and analyze my inner world, reflect on external circumstances.
Kate Bortsova, Self-isolation, oil on canvas, 45 x 85 cm, April 2020
Kate Bortsova, Insomnia, oil on canvas, 100 x 80 cm, March 2020