Untitled

Untitled

OxiFLOWERing®, pitting on iron, solvent-based paints, iron, 60 x 50 x 7 cm, 2023

Untitled is taken from Anna Skoromnaya’s OxiFLOWERing series exploring the subtleties of how the concept of beauty is perceived in contemporary society.

Is it possible to identify new, unconventional forms of beauty in a world driven by preservation, where contamination is avoided at all costs? While there are countless heavily promoted and celebrated products and techniques available for keeping ageing and contamination at bay, those who do not fit these stereotypes do not receive the same level of attention. This series attempts to correct this, refecting on the possible notion of ‘ugly beauty’.

In defance of society’s definition of ugliness, the artist uses complex ‘controlled corrosion’ processes initiated using her own OxiFLOWERing® technique to subject the materials to a cycle of changes in their shape and colour. As they age, corrode and evolve, they give rise to a new and unexpected beauty, similar to a plant coming into fower, showing how beauty can blossom from decay.

The series challenges the traditional conventions of attractiveness, inviting viewers to find beauty in surprising and unconventional places, and so forcing them to face up to our world’s intrinsic variety and the expressive richness of its contradictions.