Natasha Lelenco

Currency #222: Orange Painted Coin with Face of a Cuban Woman About Foreignness

2024

Natasha Lelenco, born in Chișinău, Moldova in 1982, is a prominent Moldovan painter and contemporary artist who has been residing in Galicia, Spain, since 2008. She is especially known for her figurative work, particularly in the realm of portraiture. Holding a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, her art has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and art fairs. Natasha Lelenco's art has been showcased across exhibitions in Spain, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Mexico, and beyond. Natasha Lelenco's approach is figurative, primarily centered on the human form, which she understands as an integral part of life rather than its core. Her themes encompass identity, self-awareness, and the role of chance in shaping the value of things and life itself. Her artistic journey has given rise to self-contained series where narrative and format harmonize, often springing from a playful interplay of repetition, color juxtapositions, deformations in pursuit of psychological realism, and a selective use of elements and resources available in her studio. A recurring motif in her work is the creation of panels, which, through repetitive use of representations, weave a narrative. The visual motif of repetition, especially in the portrayal of faces, represents a graphic fixation that captures a world characterized by seriality. To depict this, she frequently draws inspiration from popular art, advertising, and kitsch. The resulting imagery often strikes a tragicomic chord. She finds solace in project-based work, and virtually all her endeavors since dedicating herself professionally to artistic creation revolve around narratives materializing in pieces that often seek to function both collectively and independently.