Bidspirit auction | Katia Lifshin

Katia Lifshin - ''Soft Waves'' 2026. For Lifshin, the stage is not a place but a state of mind. Even while the curtain remains closed, the performance has already begun. The character has applied her makeup, donned her costume, and put on an air of confidence—yet her eyes continue to betray the person beneath. In her new series of works, Katia Lifshin explores the elusive moment when private identity gives way to a persona. The women she depicts are adorned with the trappings of glamour—theatrical makeup, colorful furs, jewelry, and imagined stages—yet it is precisely behind these elements that a vulnerability is revealed. Their gazes are not self-assured but hesitant; their lips are parted, as if caught in the moment just before stepping onto the stage or immediately after the curtain falls. Lifshin is not concerned with stardom, but rather with the tension between visibility and exposure. The stage becomes a space where a persona must be maintained, even as the face threatens to betray the fear, doubt, and fragility lurking beneath the surface. At first glance, these are mesmerizing portraits of contemporary beauty. Upon closer inspection, they evolve into an exploration of performance, femininity, and the emotional toll of the public gaze. The series will be featured in the artist’s upcoming solo exhibition in Vienna, marking a significant new chapter in the work of one of today’s most prominent young painters on the international stage. pastel on framed paper  33/26 cm (framed 36/29 cm) Signed Katia Lifshin (b.1993) is a Ukraine-born Israeli artist. Using mainly a blue and green color palette she creates a dream-like world in which there is room for surreal elements. In her paintings the main characters are often young girls and women, and the focus and attention is on their identity, self-image, feelings. Katia relocated to the U.S in 2012, studied painting and sculpting at Pima College, Tucson, Arizona. She returned to Israel in 2018, where is she currently living and working.  Selected shows: 2024 ''Light Journeys'' solo exhibition in New York at Long story short gallery 2023 Beyond this ocean, Anna Zorina, Los Angeles, CA 2023 Shapeshifters, solo show, Nassima Landau, Tel Aviv, Israel 2023 Blurry line of my feelings, Garten gallery, Como, Italy 2022 High Voltage 3, Nassima Landau, Tel Aviv, Israel 2022 Breaking news, Another Gallery, Paris, France 2022 Touch Wood, Eve Leibe gallery with Prior art space, Berlin, Germany 2022 Parallels, solo show, Moosey Gallery, Islington, London