“Lying in bed one day, I asked Luka if anyone had ever told him he had beautiful eyes. He said yes. I had been asked that same question many times, yet my response was always an awkward, flirty ‘thank you’. Luka’s answer felt painfully honest—I was left feeling confronted with my insecurities and wondering if his answer was beautiful or arrogant, or, perhaps, both,” the artist reflects.
The project explores intimacy and gender roles through a series of portraits depicting the artist’s partner—her producer, manager and muse. Traditionally, the artist–muse relationship brings to mind painters like Picasso, Matisse, or Modigliani and the women they immortalised. This project challenges the inherent power structures within artistic representation, redefining not only what it means to portray a muse but, perhaps more importantly, what it means to be one.
A Man in the Bushes, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm, 2022;
Luka Staring at the Future, oil on canvas, 30×40 cm, 2022;
Deep Focus (Luka Peeing), oil on canvas, 80 x 120 cm, 2022
Available upon inquiry – info@agatelielpetere.com
4. 7. – 28. 9. 2025
6th Triennial of Young Artists – Premiere 2025. Fields of intimacy, transitions and potentials of the medium;
Center for Contemporary Arts, Celje, Slovenia