May 2

Alexa Kolos

Alexa Kolos is a figurative and anatomical painter who has exhibited mainly in Ukraine and also in Germany. Recent solo exhibitions include the National Museum Kiev Art Gallery, Art Center Maysternya, both in Ukraine, and a feature at Dolina Gallery in Germany. She has participated in an art residency at Goethe-Institute and has been published by Artist Portfolio Magazine as well as Blue Magazine. Alexa’s paintings are often conceptual in nature and typically involve unflattering portraiture or portions of anatomy.

Often containing rich fleshy and painterly brush strokes and color, the paintings reveal an artist who wishes to convey the human condition. Alexa’s self portraits reveal a sense of vulnerability portraying herself with unflattering globs of muddy hues, aging, and an appearance of being worn down. The flesh on the portraits and some of the figurative paintings may resemble rugged and old pieces of leather stitched together. Alexa’s anatomical paintings can come off as grotesque and unsettling as she portrays the interiors of intestines and various organs and unattractive close ups of portions of flesh. Sometimes the viewer may wonder if the paintings are disgusting or aesthetically beautiful in their forms and unified compositional colors. Some of the paintings may come off as more elegant such as her depictions of hands and ears, harkening a focus to our senses. Alexa remains a complex painter and three-dimensional character who communicates variations in interpretations of human form.

Two self portraits of the artist we may observe are Sympathy (pictured above) and Do Not Open Your Mouth (pictured below). The paintings portray a vulnerable and uncomplimentary view of the artist. While the painting above may show a sense of sadness and even low self esteem, the painting below conveys more confidence and a crude portrayal of a female as if she is fixing her teeth or removing food from beneath her gums. Alexa does not create an idealized image of herself nor does she portray a realistic reflection but rather communicates the state of her mind by distorting her bodily appearances to appear more aged, leather-like, and crackled with rough brush marks. A fascinating take on the psyche of the artist and perhaps the most interesting set of self portraits ever to come across the history of Aedra Fine Arts. These energized portraits, although worn and beaten down, contain a sense of life and down-to-earth take on self reflection. What we may take from the self portraits would be the artist does not take herself very seriously as Alexa creates imagery so raw, they may reveal a wounded soul.

Alexa Kolos’ anatomical pieces convey grotesque qualities and discomfort while at the same time laid out in designs which are compositionally pleasing to the eye with monochromatic undertakings. The push and pull of various organs reminds us our lives are governed by our internal self as well. An unflattering sense of oneself would be to break our own identity into chunks of anatomy, bone, and pieces of flesh. Perhaps a commentary on the cheapness of life considering all the bloody conflicts going on in the contemporary world. A deeply sociological and psychological artist, Alexa Kolos brings us on our journey beyond the comprehension of our direct senses and what remains only known to the mind and studies in science. As a young artist with a bold and unforgiving body of work, her artistic career appears promising and has huge potential for dynamic growth.