Oil on canvas

30x24"/76x61cm

2021

 

One of the paintings of the series in which Sofiya is exploring the duality and the fragility of the character of New York nightlife performers, a big part of her circle. The entertainment industries, especially such intimate ones, were considered the least essential and were open the latest in the pandemic. People who depend on it were left in uncertainty with no financial support for an unpredictable amount of time. Sofiya wanted to use her opportunity to glimpse “backstage” to show the transformational and intimate moments of their lives, the crossing of the threshold between reality and stage character. In doing so, she also hoped to give them another form of representation and much-needed artistic outlet.

 

This one is a painting of a New York burlesque performer Olive TuPartie at her apartment during the pandemic. It shows how during the lockdown at the time of no shows the performers were forced to only interact through social media.

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