Dolls and Dresses
In this body of work Katya Kvasova features series of rag dolls wearing enormous dresses. She is shifting the angle to look differently at an object that already has its stereotype. Instead of portraying it as it is or as people used to think about it, she exaggerates the meaning of a doll and plays with its apparel. Using traditional medium oil on canvas Katya plays with non-traditional application of paint, using cloths and fingertips as well as brushes. Large canvas formats allow the artist to expand the decorative touch. She uses only very fine canvas primed with white primer and applies very thin translucent layers of paint. In Katya’s work you often see white canvas shines through some pigments as well as some heavier textures. Combining both and experimenting further allows her to gain a certain aesthetic. These series appeared from the collision of two very different visual experiences: the discovery of the very Old Russian icons in Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and watching famous Bjork’s musical video “Violently Happy”, where for a very brief moment a rag doll appears on the screen. ”I was deeply touched by both such culturally different experiences and was drawn to express that in my work” - she says. Her intentions were to investigate and learn that simple aesthetic that old icons carry, which typically have very simple central composition, but yet have such powerful visual effect! Looking for the clues of what made them so beautiful and powerful and special inspired Katya for these series. Now the rag doll wasn’t the main character in the video and was tossed around with disregard… but somehow it set in the artist’s mind and heart. She was drawn to personalise that doll or even more - to put it on a pedestal, make it the main living character of her own story!
More work and prints available upon request