Day in a southern city, 2026

Irina Bast   New & remarkable Artists

Day in a southern city is a glimpse into the lives unfolding behind dozens of small windows. Against the backdrop of a bright, warm landscape of sea, boats, white houses, and sunlit hills, the artist brings together many completely different human stories. There is no single protagonist here — life itself becomes the main character, made up of countless small moments.

Something different is happening behind every window. Someone is still enjoying a lazy morning in bed, someone is meeting friends and laughing, someone is playing cards or singing songs with a guitar, while someone else is talking to a cat or spending time with family. A prince on a white horse watches a beautiful woman taking a selfie. A young woman cries as she reads a love letter. An elderly man feeds the pigeons. A young mother enjoys a tender moment with her son. Adorable kittens watch a colorful kite being flown by a boy from a nearby window. Curious children peek out from behind a curtain. A man in a mascot costume laughs at his own photographs. One neighbor has forgotten to turn off the television, and now the whole street can hear the football match. And somewhere, birds have built a nest right on a windowsill.

The painting reveals people immersed in everyday activities, family gatherings, relaxation, creativity, and simple domestic rituals. Some windows are filled with people and movement, while others are almost empty — making us wonder about the stories that exist behind each one, stories the viewer does not yet know.

One of the distinctive features of the work is that the windows are made from strips of mirrored material. As a result, the viewer is not simply an observer looking into other people's lives. Their own reflection becomes part of the artwork. Each person can imagine that they are actually standing in this warm southern city, looking out toward the sea and observing the neighbors — their joys, loneliness, love, habits, and small everyday stories.

“Day in a southern city" is a painting about our curiosity toward other people's lives and, at the same time, about how much we all have in common. We live in different homes, look through different windows, and lead completely different lives, yet something deeply human is happening behind every window. And somewhere among these many windows, there may be someone who, at this very moment, is looking back at us.
Mixed media painting made with acrylic paints, mirrors, collage. The base is canvas on a wooden stretcher.