Identity games: Red and Turquoise Figurative Acrylic Artwork Exploring Selfhood, 2026

Irina Petrova  

Irina Petrova's artistic exploration revolves around the profound facets of human physicality. In her practice, she delves into the paths of harmonizing the individual in today's modern world. She shares her thoughts, saying, "The main questions that intrigue me as an artist are the boundary between the material and the spiritual, the transformation of human emotions in the contemporary mechanized society. We create this world; the level of our energy and the flow of our thoughts shape the reality around us. Understanding one's inner space allows self-discovery as a vessel filled with specific information, ripe for exploration. In my art, I don't aim for an exact and detailed portrayal of reality; rather, my focus is on conveying the stream of emotions and my inner state."

Irina Petrova has always been a deeply sensitive individual, and her artworks serve as a symbiosis between personal reflection on the surrounding world and an exploration of human psychological states. Her journey into understanding how the psycho-emotional influences the physical and corporeal state of a person led her to create symbolic paintings that traverse the conventional boundaries between figurative and abstract art. Irina Petrova, a painter, works across various media, including acrylic and oil painting, collage, aerosol, metal leafing, and even shattered mirrors. Her work thrives on the improvisational expression of her emotional states.

Amid her oeuvre, traditional and recognizable motifs find equilibrium on the precipice between figurative and non-representational art, becoming the protagonists of new, fantastical realities. Irina's artistic creations are intrinsically linked with the exploration of psycho-emotional experiences, which are acutely felt in the context of the contemporary unstable world. Currently, she is immersed in the theme of internal and external harmony.

Irina Petrova, as an artist, has also extended her talents into the realm of jewelry design, collaborating with the handmade jewelry studio, Quesera, in Seoul since 2023.