PORTRAITS

The exhibition project “Portraits” is a series of 35 paintings in which the image of a cow is presented through the language of portraiture. The project explores the portrait genre as an artistic form and reconsiders the anthropocentric perspective that has traditionally shaped representations in art.

The series examines shared aspects of human and animal representation, including social hierarchy, behavior within a community, bodily presence, individual characteristics, and collective identity. The cow is presented not as an object of use, but as a subject — a being with its own character, emotional state, and social significance.

The central idea of the series is the image of the cow as a symbol of a disappearing culture. In Ukrainian tradition, the cow holds an almost sacred meaning, being deeply connected with collective memory, everyday life, and a system of values. In rural communities, the cow was often perceived as a member of the family, sometimes referred to as “nenya” (mother), and was associated with care, continuity, and emotional attachment.

Within a broader European context, the project reflects on processes of cultural transformation, loss, and continuity. It addresses the gradual disappearance and redefinition of traditional rural practices, forms of coexistence between humans and animals, and locally rooted ways of life. These changes are considered as part of a wider transformation of cultural identity, memory, and human–animal relationships in contemporary society.

Through the language of portraiture, the series invites a reconsideration of the boundaries between human and non-human representation, questioning established hierarchies and proposing a more attentive view of other forms of existence.