Artist portfolio & Solo exhibition proposal
[natalia osipova] — multidisciplinary artist & visual researcher
Natalia Osipova (2003, Moscow)In my artistic practice, I work with sculpture, installation, object, video art, and sound, analysing the mechanisms that shape visual statements and the boundaries of the visible.My research focuses on visual strategies of understatement, practices of veiling, and processes of censoring and concealing information — both in the physical urban environment and in digital space. Through a delicate deconstruction of everyday and technological contexts, I examine the mechanisms of hiding, distortion, and partial removal of images.My working method is based on field observation and the collection and systematisation of data. Working at the intersection of material and audiovisual media, I build a complex system of traces and gaps, revealing hidden subtexts and invisible structures that shape contemporary perception.Education:
Academic art lyceum of the russian academy of arts (2018)
Hse art and design school (2023—2027)
The presentation consists of two main blocks: first, a site-specific solo exhibition proposal designed for gallery space, followed by a curated selection of recent key works.
the solo exhibition that explores the language of the [unmanifested] nature of experience
The «to ti esti» project (τὸ τί ἐστιν — from the Greek, «What is it?») unfolds in the gap between an object and its phantom presence. The essence is never revealed to us directly: it is hidden behind optical filters, frosted glass, and refractions. The exhibition eschews direct representation, leaving behind only a trace, a matte imprint, and a vibration.Plaster is a material of solidification, casting, colorless forms (white on white), and archiving. Fog is a physical blur, a medium that diffuses light and the boundaries of objects. Together, they create a total plastic environment.
The central meaning of the project lies in the irony of complete manifestation. Upon entering the space, the viewer instinctively seeks to decipher and «make out» what they see, but the very architecture of the installation blocks this act of appropriating the image. The project’s universe asserts that complete manifestation and the deciphering of form are impossible. We are always dealing only with traces, fragments, veiled memories, and translucent noise.
Wall reliefs and sculptures form a pantheon of half-human, half-animal beings. The figures are in a state of constant transformation: they are not fixed in precise anatomical form, but merely sketched out. Their form evokes memories of ancient bas-reliefs, digital renders, and phantasmagorical bodily shifts, where the boundary between the human and the animal is fundamentally blurred.The artist physically erases the reliefs right before our eyes, transforming sharp contours into hazy, barely discernible silhouettes. The viewing experience becomes process-oriented — the image appears only for a moment, only to dissolve immediately.
technical [architecture] of fog
*Rules for Using the fog/steam generator: for fire safety reasons and to preserve the plaster objects (plaster is sensitive to prolonged exposure to moisture), steam generation in active mode is permitted only during the vernissage (on opening day).
[sound] installation
The project’s sound design is based on the use of noise, acoustic «feedback» and micro-vibrations. Like the visual objects that dissolve into the fog, the sound lacks a clear compositional structure or a complete motif. It functions as an acoustic fog that blurs the boundaries of the space and intensifies the sensation of a phantom presence.The sound art will be created in collaboration with Oleg Chukcheev, a sound artist.
exhibition [visualisation]
*The works in the space may be enclosed by glass at a distance: steam is released into the interior of the constructed space, inviting viewers to observe the works from a certain distance and with only a faint view of them, perceiving only their outlines*Instead of fog, one could use a method of eroding the plaster sculptures themselves down to barely discernible features, or veiling the images by layering plaster over a slab
exhibition with fog
exhibition with fog
exhibition with fog
exhibition without fog
finished sculptures
artist [talk]
I would be happy to participate in a public event or an artist talk — I’m currently working on a book titled «Visual strategies of undersaying in contemporary art» and would be delighted to share my research.
selected [works]
Featured here are four selected projects that reflect my artistic practice.
[sculptures] section
UNDISCLOSED
Books that a person will never open will remain unopened, and those encased in cement — all the more so. I use legal literature as the basis for this project, exploring unsolved crimes. The theme is explored inversely: unsolved cases are, quite literally, locked away in cement books that cannot be opened. These are the sewn-up and sealed-off stories that will never again see the light of day. By erasing the book from the public sphere, we also erase the traces of history and experience that once existed in that space.credits:
technique: concrete sculpture
dimensions: 15×25 cm (15 pieces)
