IRENE MAKAROVA
IRENE MAKAROVA is a visual artist based in London working with a medium of contemporary oil painting
HUMAN ENCOUNTERS (since 2024)
The series "Human Encounters" immerses deep into something incomprehensible that stands beyond the human.
The creatures in the paintings inhabit their own world, and my inner world at the same time. While working on this series, I explored ancestral memory and delved into the depths of centuries, entering into a dialogue with the visual heritage of medieval miniatures and 16th-century tombstones.
The creatures in the paintings inhabit their own world, and my inner world at the same time. While working on this series, I explored ancestral memory and delved into the depths of centuries, entering into a dialogue with the visual heritage of medieval miniatures and 16th-century tombstones.
UNDERWORLD (since 2025)
Almost every culture had the idea of an underworld — a shadowy realm where souls traveled after death and faced various challenges. In modern life, we have the Tube — an underground world we physically descend into every day, hidden beneath the surface of the city. It’s like an invisible world, concealed out of sight, yet part of our daily reality. In many cultures, those who entered the underworld could not return (with a few exceptions). Yet, after our journey underground, we return to the visible world. What is this modern underground world like, and what kinds of beings live there? What obstacles, opportunities, and rewards does it offer?
