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Kateryna Kolesnykova
The Monkey of Expectations

2025

$1,660.90
£1,233.92
€1,410
CA$2,327.59
A$2,356.74
CHF 1,340.75
MX$28,641.83
NOK 15,848.28
SEK 15,765.02
DKK 10,750.89

About the Item

In this work from the series “Trained Femininity,” the female figure appears in a gesture of двойного self-protection: one hand covers her eyes, as if seeking to shield herself from the intrusive gaze of society, while the other embraces her own body, attempting to restore a sense of wholeness. The face remains unfinished, deprived of individuality—this is a gesture of erasure that the artist consistently uses as a symbol of how social norms and expectations blur female subjectivity. A small monkey sits on the woman’s shoulder—an embodiment of primitive, simplified ideas about femininity. It seems to mirror the position of an observer, looking at the figure from the side, while also evoking the internal critical voice we absorb from childhood: “be quieter,” “be nicer,” “be more convenient.” The light “collar” of its fur creates an impression of artificial decorativeness—the same kind that society often tries to impose on women, replacing their strength with the demand to be charming and obedient. The color of the body—a warm, almost bare pinkish red—emphasizes vulnerability. The breasts are accentuated, vivid, yet not eroticized: they function here as a marker of how femininity is reduced to physical form rather than meaning. With its tail, the monkey touches this accent—as if demonstrating how the social gaze continually returns to the body. The background is filled with nervous, fragmented dark brushstrokes. They resemble informational noise—an endless space of comments, advice, and criticism that shapes an atmosphere of tension around the woman. Within this turbulence, the figure appears both vulnerable and resilient: she does not resist openly, yet her gestures of turning away and closing herself off contain a quiet but unwavering protest. This painting is about a moment of awareness of pressure: when the woman has not yet entered into open struggle, but already sees the source of control on her shoulder. It is the beginning of liberation. Series Trained Femininity The painting is shipped rolled (unstretched, without a frame). The image size is 110×90 cm, while the canvas measures 118×99 cm to allow extra margins on each side for stretching.
  • Creator:
    Kateryna Kolesnykova (Ukrainian)
  • Creation Year:
    2025
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 43.31 in (110 cm)Width: 35.44 in (90 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Zofingen, CH
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2203218268532

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