Natasha Lelenco, The Birthday Gift, 2022, Mixed Media

This painting is one of the works from the "Fetishes" series that Natasha Lelenco created throughout the year 2022 to be featured in the international exhibition Nordart 2022 in Büdelsdorf, Germany. Artist Natasha Lelenco presents a surreal portrait of a baby assimilated into a flourishing tulip. The work delves into how images can become treasures imbued with personal and cultural significance. Drawing from a childhood memory in which she received a gift of a painting representing a baby, molding her perception of reality and sense of belonging over time. Natasha contemplates how these images persist in the mind, influencing the creation of individual and collective narratives that intertwine with our history. The artwork is midway between figuration, portraiture, still life, and abstraction. Lelenco's "Fetiches" series melds portraiture and anthropomorphic forms, achieved through a meticulous accumulation of elements. These elements intertwine with a nuanced thematic exploration, touching upon both kitsch and popular iconography. The series also delves into the inseparable connection between humanity and the larger living community. Drawing from her personal biography, Natasha Lelenco constructs a dialogue between memory and imagery. Through a skillful process, she resurrects fragments of her past to craft fresh narratives that challenge conventional perceptions of existence. This narrative depth, coupled with psychological complexity, echoes classical influences, seamlessly bridging the gap between Renaissance portraiture and contemporary expression. Notably, Lelenco's "Fetiches" series echoes the artistic echoes of Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. These pieces have been designed to function individually or to be combined into multiple panels, engaging in dialogue with other artworks from the same series. Natasha Lelenco, born in Chișinău, Moldova in 1982, is a prominent Moldovan painter and contemporary artist who has been residing in Galicia, Spain, since 2008. She is especially known for her figurative work, particularly in the realm of portraiture. Holding a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, her art has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and art fairs, exploring themes such as memory, the human as an integral part of the community of the living, and popular imagery. Natasha Lelenco's art has been showcased across exhibitions in Spain, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Mexico, and USA. More than 40 works of these series has already found its home in private collections worldwide.