In Un/Masked, artist Elizaveta Porodina invites us to peer behind our masks, holding up a mirror to ourselves. Her abstract and surrealist photographs, in the interplay of light, color, and shadow, also reflect her inner world.

“I grant my audience a window into my subconscious with my work.” 
Elizaveta Porodina

Born in Moscow and based in Munich, the artist arrived in Germany as a teenager as a so-called “quota refugee”, feeling displaced and isolated. Painting became an escape; studying the works of Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mikhail Vrubel, and Pablo Picasso became a passion. Mixing bold colors with expressive faces, she has remained true to this style. Her subjects are no longer painted with brushes but come to life through carefully arranged sets and artistic lighting.

In Un/Masked, Porodina invites us to reflect on human nature. As a trained clinical psychologist, she is intrigued by emotion-driven behavior. She sees her art as an experiment, combining the hidden and contradictory sides of ourselves. At its core are people, each their own universe yearning to connect with others.

With her poetic photographs, Elizaveta Porodina has made a significant contribution to contemporary photography.