The exhibition explores how portraiture acts as a mirror—revealing both the self and the world around us—as a social documentary.
Sala Nova "Mirrors" brings together the works by Sinead Breslin, Tomas Harker, Emiliana Henriquez, Ania Hobson, Igor Moritz, Zofia Pałucha, Richard Phillips, Alexander Skats, Rafal Topolewski, and Xu Yang. The artists are united by the themes of reflection, identity, and perception. The exhibition explores how portraiture acts as a mirror—revealing both the self and the world around us—as a social documentary.
Historically, portraiture has been the stage upon which the individual negotiates visibility, presence, and identity. The European portraiture tradition has been dominated by aristocratic and bourgeois commissions, where self-presentation was inseparable from power. Yet behind those extravagant requests was also hidden the projection of a personal narrative. The attention towards the figure ‘in front of’ has transformed today into a metaphysical and complex analysis of cultural memory and personal vision.
Mirrors investigates the reflective power of art—not only as a depiction of the external world but as a medium through which inner life and emotional complexity are documented. And most importantly, each self. In this manifestation of one, Mirrors welcomes the visitors to follow the gaze of the artworks that speak loudly and dynamically with each other.
Why Must You (2021), by Sinead Breslin, almost mimics that famous smile while softly gazing at her neighbor, Igor Moritz. The man is exhausted by the “Heatwave over London” and, in turn, he stares into the void or maybe has noticed something small in the corner of his Matisse-esque apartment. “Tarantula” by Tomas Harker is the central protagonist of the painting, sitting on the face of a young woman, who seems to be calmly observing the room.
Isolde with Rocking Horse (2025) is surprisingly studying the scene while the old granddad looks at the kid, bringing forward the contrast of the curiosity and tiredness of life. Between the two is an empty Marie Antoinette-like “Mask”. The journey of surprising accessories does not end with the artwork of Xu Yang, as the white frame elegantly supports the multicultural chaplet designed by Zofia Pałucha—a bold and unapologetic call for self-expression and the joy of uniqueness.
The last wall begins with two bright and vivid artworks by Emiliana Henriquez: in the heat of the orange, a woman stares into the ceiling. The composition is already hinting to the viewer the purport of the exhibition as we follow the gradual rises and falls from the forehead to the chin and the neck to the chest and waist, seen in the reflection on the floor. Underneath is a blue duo portrait of a couple caught in the moment of intimacy.
The blue-orange couple right next to it are "Red Men" by Ania Hobson; they also seem to be hiding, raking the street under the strict gaze of someone in the shadows. The last artwork presented is by Rafal Topolewski—a self-portrait with the expressive anatomy of still eyes, the chin, and the knife.
