Love Yourself III episode - Black and Beige (2020) Original Acrylic Painting by Maria Seltsova

In this episode of the Love Yourself series, Seltsova explores the transformative power of sexual energy through the lens of Taoist philosophy. Created using a self-pleasure device as a mark-making tool, the painting documents a process of self-exploration, where creative action becomes a means of confronting and integrating the hidden aspects of the self.

The contrast between black and beige reflects a transitional state between darkness and light, tension and acceptance. Black embodies the unknown, the shadow, and the unconscious, while beige introduces softness, grounding, and the first signs of reconciliation. Layer by layer, the work traces a journey from inner conflict toward balance, suggesting that personal growth begins not with rejection of the shadow, but with its acknowledgment.

A powerful abstract expressionist painting that explores duality, transformation, and the path toward self-love and wholeness.

Materials used:

Acrylics and performative act

Details:

• Acrylic painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 150 x 150cm (unframed) / 150 x 150cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the back
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: Abstract and non-figurative