“Unlived Self”Limited edition print Paper Print 
by Kateryna Kostyk

“Unlived Self” explores a deeply familiar yet often unspoken human experience — the quiet abandonment of one’s true calling. It reflects the inner conflict between what we feel drawn to do and the reality we are expected to navigate: responsibilities, financial pressure, routine obligations, and the weight of being accountable to others.

At some point, many people find themselves choosing necessity over passion. What once felt essential — a talent, a curiosity, a sense of purpose — is gradually postponed. Not rejected, but set aside “for later.” Over time, this postponement becomes a habit, and the connection to that inner drive begins to fade. What remains is a version of the self that exists, but is not fully lived.
This artwork embodies that state.

The figure of the young man is entirely overgrown with ivy — a deliberate and symbolic choice. Ivy is a plant that often envelops abandoned buildings, structures once full of life but left without care or attention. In this work, the human figure becomes analogous to such a structure: a vessel of potential that, through neglect, becomes overtaken.

The ivy does not appear suddenly — it accumulates. Just as avoidance, compromise, and postponed decisions accumulate over time. Each leaf represents a reason, a justification, or a circumstance that distances the individual from their true path. There are over five hundred individually drawn ivy leaves covering the figure, each one symbolizing a barrier: fear, obligation, doubt, fatigue, societal expectations, or the illusion of “not yet.”Together, they form a dense, suffocating layer — one that both conceals and restrains.

Yet within this overwhelming monochrome structure, one leaf breaks the pattern.
A single ivy leaf is rendered in color. This detail introduces a subtle but crucial shift in meaning. The colored leaf symbolizes a moment of awareness — a single obstacle that can be addressed, a single step that can be taken. It suggests that the process of reclaiming oneself does not begin with radical transformation, but with one small, conscious act.

By removing even one “leaf,” the weight begins to lessen.

“Unlived Self” is not only a portrayal of suppression, but also a reflection on possibility. It does not offer resolution, but it opens a question: how much of what holds us back is truly immovable, and how much of it persists simply because it has never been challenged?

This work invites the viewer to recognize themselves within the image — and perhaps to reconsider what has been left waiting.

A LIMITED EDITION OF PRINTS is available:

Paper size: 40 × 52 cm
Image size: 30 × 42 cm
Edition: 20 copies
Paper: Epson Enhanced Matte Paper (190 g/m²)
Details: Each print is hand-numbered and signed on the front, and comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity.

Materials used:

charcoal, graphite pencils, white liner, aquarelle, varnish

Details:

• Charcoal drawing on Paper
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 70 x 100cm (unframed)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Surrealistic
• Subject: People and portraits

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