u1 gallery

Every artist carries something at the heart of their practice—an idea, a question, or a way of seeing that continues to shape the work as it evolves. In this conversation, Liza Petrova reflects on a painting practice shaped by the connections between personal experience, family stories, history, and the wider cultural and political world. She explores how these different layers of experience shape one another, often bringing existing images and visual languages into new contexts. In Sitting in a Tree , for instance, figures rooted in Slavic mythology become portraits of her niece and her friend, transforming a historical image into something deeply personal and contemporary. In this chapter of The Core Message , we explore the questions that continue to guide Petrova’s practice, from what painting can be today to how meaning emerges through images, materials, and the contexts surrounding them. Reflecting on the evolution of her work and the uncertainties of the creative process, Petrov...