Breathing in the Dark, 2026

Tatsiana Yelistratava  

Tatsiana Yelistratava is a contemporary expressionist artist working in figurative painting and mixed media. She was born in Gomel in 1982 and currently lives and works in Hurghada, Egypt. Originally trained in the medical field, she later turned to art as her primary language for exploring emotional and psychological states. She is a self-taught artist with over a decade of independent studio practice.

Her work centers on the inner world of the human figure, addressing themes of silence, vulnerability, resilience, healing, and personal transformation. Across her major series — , , , , and — Yelistratava explores emotional landscapes that exist beneath everyday appearances: quiet strength, inner conflict, and the search for authenticity.

Color plays a central role in her visual language. Saturated palettes become emotional fields where the body functions as both structure and sensation. In many works, she deliberately tears and reassembles the painted surface, transforming rupture into a physical metaphor for psychological reconstruction. Visible seams and fragments form maps of lived experience, revealing resilience not as perfection, but as conscious survival.

Her portraits do not idealize the figure. Instead, they present the body as a living archive of memory, emotion, and change—inviting viewers into an intimate dialogue with their own inner states.

Yelistratava has presented multiple solo exhibitions at Ostraca Art Gallery and has participated in exhibitions and residencies across Egypt. Her work has been featured in FAZ Art Magazine and Egypt Today.

Through expressive figurative painting and tactile mixed media, Tatsiana Yelistratava creates contemporary works that speak about breaking, healing, and becoming—offering raw, honest reflections on the emotional realities of being human.