Polina Gazeeva: Lived Experiences Contained In Women’s Bodies

Berlin-based Russian artist Polina Gazeeva paints visceral portraits of bodies and those close to them. She uses bold colours such as red, black and yellow to create strong brushstrokes that emulate her equally strong feelings— a constant theme she navigates within their paintings.

The visceral quality of her figures brings to mind the concept of Body Memories, proposing that lived experiences, whether good or bad, are stored within the body. For example, think of how one might flinch away from an oncoming object if they got hit by a ball during P.E. class. Their body remembers the initial impact. Gazeeva’s paintings explore her embodied experiences as a woman and reflect the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality.

Gazeeva’s latest piece, Petting a Crocodile, is also the very first piece whose process, from start to finish, has been documented by a poetic and raw video titled Art’s highs & lows. 

Petting a Crocodile is an abstract figurative piece, where a figure is bent over, petting a crocodile, while another figure, one that seems less human, holds them tight. 

In her video, Gazeeva talks about her inspiration behind the piece: a crocodile that her partner had spotted at the zoo, with a large body and a disproportionately small snout. Although the depicted crocodile does not look as silly, the memory became her starting point when painting the piece. In a way, Gazeeva’s paintings can even be interpreted as portraits of her body and how she feels about some memories.

In her process video, Gazeeva also outlined how she doesn’t begin her paintings by thinking about the forms and shapes she wants to draw. Usually, she starts by thinking about what materials and colours they would like the piece to contain. This then helps her to shape her figures and achieve their visceral quality, made up of through colours rather than shapes or lines.

The bodies of Gazeeva’s figures look tactile, textured and real, as if beckoning viewers to touch them. Though if people were to touch these works, they would feel skin and flesh. In an Instagram video, she even encourages her viewers to touch her art to experience it fully.

Gazeeva additionally walks viewers through how she feels if a piece is finished or not in her body. Her finished works are not just depictions of bodies, but are also made in direct dialogue with her body. 

While painting Petting a Crocodile, she had the time to make ink drawings, such as one titled Gift, where a woman stands hunched, holding a black coil emerging from her abdomen, as if trying to prevent her guts from spilling out. Abdominal pain is something that many women can relate to when menstruating, and Gazeeva has rendered the experience for others to understand.

These ink drawings become quick diaries of Gazeeva’s experiences: the good, the bad and the ugly. They are unapologetic about their statements and are unhindered by societal expectations of what a woman should be.

In short, Polina Gazeeva’s pieces intertwine personal anecdotes with abstract imagery, inviting her viewers to dive into them with their own lived experiences. They create a way for people, no matter their backgrounds, to relate to the bodily experiences of many women. They encourage a kinder, more empathetic approach when confronted with women who describe experiences similar to those depicted in Gazeeva's work.