Behind the scenes, 2026

Natalia Koval  

In this work, the artist explores the process of archiving memory through the prism of the search for identity. At the centre of the canvas is a female figure in an emerald-green dress, her facial features left undefined. This stylistic depersonalisation serves as a key metaphor: what we see is not a specific portrait but a generalised image-memory, an 'archival form' of an inner state. The search for one's own 'self' is presented here as a process of reassembling oneself from fragments of the past, where the face has yet to be 'revealed'.
The colour scheme acts as an emotional vehicle in its own right. Warm, enveloping pink and lilac drapery creates a space of theatrical or intimate memory – a stage upon which an inner monologue unfolds. The green dress reflects vitality and a striving for wholeness against the backdrop of the body's flowing, soft lines.
A key element of the composition is the presence of a faithful companion – an animal (a dog) – reaching out towards the woman. If the female figure personifies a fleeting consciousness and the search for meaning, then her companion grounds the canvas, embodying an unconditional, cosy refuge, an emotional anchor and physical warmth that remain constant even when one's own identity seems blurred.
The work prompts the viewer to reflect: what is our memory? Perhaps it is merely a collection of sensory nuances, veils and the warm embraces of those who were close to us?