Running on Coffee, 2026

Nataliya Bagatskaya   New & remarkable Artists

At first glance, the scene appears almost peaceful: a woman drinking coffee outside a small cafe, a black cat sitting nearby, warm yellow walls and deep green doors framing the composition. Only gradually does the orange generator and the boarded windows reveal another reality.
The painting was inspired by the mornings that follow nights of missile attacks in Kyiv. I have seen cafes with shattered windows open their doors again and begin brewing coffee. Where there is no electricity, a generator takes its place. Where glass has been destroyed, temporary boards fill the openings. The city repairs what it can and resumes its familiar rhythms.
The generator occupies a surprisingly important position in the composition. It is both an ordinary piece of equipment and a visual marker of a changed reality. Its bright orange body stands against the restrained architectural palette, making it impossible to overlook. The cable leading toward the cafe connects the practical necessity of survival with something much more intimate: the continuation of a daily ritual.
The two figures — the woman and the cat — create a quiet counterpoint to the machine. She holds her coffee with both hands; the cat, wrapped in a checked scarf, sits with an almost contemplative attentiveness. Their presence brings warmth and individuality to what could otherwise be a purely documentary scene.
The Ukrainian «ВІДЧИНЕНО» — “OPEN" sign becomes the painting's most understated yet powerful symbol. It is not presented as a slogan. It is simply there, on the cafe door, carrying the weight of everything the viewer already understands.
The work is interested in the moment when extraordinary circumstances become part of ordinary behaviour. A generator outside a cafe should feel unusual. Here, it has become almost familiar. A boarded-up window should signal interruption. Here, it accompanies a morning coffee.
This tension gives the painting its emotional character. It is not a depiction of destruction, but of what people do after destruction: repair, adapt, reopen, sit down, drink coffee — and continue living.
Dutch acrylic paints Amsterdam tm and Italian canvas by Unico were used. The finish is satin varnish, and the edges are painted in the background color. This painting is created on a pre-stretched canvas on a wooden frame. It is carefully packed in a cardboard box with layers of bubble wrap. The artwork is signed and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.