Anastasia Kurakina company
Uneaten tie
2023

About the Item

Anastasia Kurakina's artworks are the Vatican Museums collection since 2017 Artist: Anastasia Kurakina title: 'Untied tie" 38,5x50cm watercolour portrait on paper one of a kind unique piece hand signed As an artist, Anastasia Kurakina ( lives and works in London) nurtures a great fondness for human beings. Fascinated by the complex psychology of each individual, she repeatedly tries to capture those characteristics that define our uniqueness. This is why she prefers to work from living models. 'If someone is sitting in front of me, I can feel that person much more intensely and arrive at a fascinating pose while talking. I find it even more interesting to portray people in their own environment, because their homes often reveal a lot about who they are,' Kurakina says. Although she also works on commission, Kurakina does not shy away from addressing people who fascinate her on the street. In this sense, her - main - hometown of London is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. 'Londoners come from everywhere, and often dress very personally. Moreover, on the street you often see people from different backgrounds walking together. That contrast reinforces their individuality. I have a fondness for people who are not too perfect and who radiate a kind of suffering. I find it fascinating to try to capture that inner struggle, and so give my portrait more depth. Through their eyes, I can capture the soul of each person.' Each portrait starts with the eyes and a few rough, black outlines. These define the image, which then gradually emerges naturally. 'It's like walking in the mist, and the image gradually becomes clearer and clearer. The fact that I myself don't know exactly what will happen makes it fascinating. I only see myself as a participant in a creative process. The colours also arise intuitively and are dictated by the state of mind of the person I am portraying. I pay attention to the smallest details and emotional reactions, and try to translate them into an individual portrait,' Kurakina says. 'Thanks to this psychological analysis, my paintings show emotions that people never experience in the mirror or through a photograph. What they try to hide, I deepen and make visible. I try to penetrate to the essence of their being. Although that scares some people, there is no need for it. Because as Picasso said: in the end, every artist portrays himself first and foremost.' Pure magic Although she works with various techniques and materials, Kurakina's preference is for watercolour on paper. 'I love the directness of watercolour. Every painterly gesture is definitive, and therefore surprising. Moreover, watercolour allows you to leave a large part of the background white, so the image dialogues with the background and, thanks to its transparency, acquires a certain lightness. Although I sometimes dare to apply a few strokes of oil paint, as a solid counterbalance to the soft watercolours.' 'Like Henri Matisse and Italian Renaissance painters like Giotto, I experiment with the vibrant power of colours, trying to leave academic knowledge behind. Like Egon Schiele, I play with framing, making my characters seem to want to escape from their frame. Each new work arises instinctively, and is also a discovery for me every time. If other people experience the same emotions afterwards, that is pure magic.' Some of the latest exhibitions she took part at are: Anastasia Kurakina Art education: 2018 Sorbonne University, Paris 2014 – MA Fine Art at the Academy of Fine Arts of Rome; 2012 – Academy of Fine Arts of Rome; 2005 – Moscow Academic Art Lyceum of the Academy of Fine Arts of Russia. Collective exhibitions: 2023 London biennale, Chelsea, Old Town Hall; 2023 YICCA International art contest, Venice, finalists exhibition; 2023-Royal Society of British Artists Bicentennial Exhibition at Mall Galleries, London,UK; 2023 - London, UK, Sunny Art Award International exhibition finalist; 2023 -Royal British Painters Society, Mall Galleries exhibition, London, UK; 2019 – London, UK Royal Watercolor Society’s Contemporary Watercolor Competition, Bankside gallery; 2018 – Edinburgh, UK, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, BP Portrait Award; 2017 – Vatican, Vatican Museums, “Antico Presente” exhibition; 2017 – London, UK, Sunny Art Award exhibition, finalist Sunny Art Center; 2017 – Exeter, UK, Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, BP Portrait Award; 2017 – London, UK, National Portrait Gallery, BP Portrait Award; 2017 – London, Works on paper Art Fair, Royal Geographic Society; 2016 – Rome, live painting at Brasilian Embassy at Simone Ghera’s “Dance inside Brasil” exhibition; 2016 – Oxford, UK, Oxford International Art Fair; 2015 – Mexico, MUMEDI Mexican Museum of Design; 2015 – Cambridge, UK, Cambridge International Art Fair; 2015 – Rome, Museum of Contemporary art MACRO; 2013 – Los Angeles, La luz de Jesus Gallery; 2013 – Shanghai, International Art Fair of Contemporary Art; 2013 – Rome, Embassy of Iraq, Embassy of Egypt; 2013 – Venice, Arte Laguna Prize’s exhibition at Venice’s Arsenal; 2012 – Rome, «Green blood»at Dorothy Circus Gallery; 2011 – Museum of Roman Civilization in Rome; 2010 – Naples, “Biennial of the artist’s book”; 2009 – La Paz, Bolivia, 4°Bienal Internacional Siart; 2008 – Bari, 28th International Fair of modern and contemporary Art; 2008 – Moscow, “Art Manezh 2008”, Central Exhibitions Hall Manege. Collections: Private collections in Italy, UK, Russia, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Singapore, USA, Vatican Museums, Nina lobanova-Rostovskaya (London), National Museum of Art Humor of Tolentino, National Museum of Sacred Art of Nonantola (Italy), Marchese Sacchetti(Rome), National Centre for Manzoni’s Studies (Milan). Personal exhibitions: 2022 - Modern & contemporary art Gallery, double show in Rome; 2019- la Scala d’oro gallery in Rome, 2019 – Rome, Marino Gallery; 2018 –Milan, Zanuso Gallery; 2017 – London, Russian Cultual Centre; 2017 –Luzern, Switzerland, International Comic Festival; 2017 – Rome, Russian Center of Culture and Science; 2016 – St.Petersburg, the Pushkinskaya 10 Art Center, Art League Gallery; 2016 – Porto Cervo, Sardinia,MDM Museum of Contemporary Art; 2016 – Rome, American Embassy; 2013 – Tolentino (MC), International Art Museum of Tolentino; 2006 – Moscow, Central House of Artist. Awards: 2017 – Rome, I prize of the national award “Arte&sport” of the AONI (National Italian Olympic Academy); 2015 – Rome, Adrenalina prize I prize; 2013 – Rome, Adrenalina prize under 35 and prize of the public, Museum of Contemporary Art MACRO;

Creator:
Anastasia Kurakina company (Italian)
Creation Year:
2023
Dimensions:
Height: 15.36 in (39 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)
Medium:
Paper,Tempera,Watercolor
Movement & Style:
Vienna Secession
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2144214055442