Original artwork description:

In Your NAR-KITTY, Ukrainian artist Inga Makarova uses a blend of irony, pop culture reference, and painterly skill to deliver a memorable and subversive artwork. The piece consists of a stretched canvas with a sculpted, painted jacket layered on top – its slick green surface unmistakably echoing the famous Adidas tracksuit associated with urban youth in the former Soviet bloc.

But what lies underneath? A painted ginger cat stares calmly out, beneath the stylized phrase “ТВОЙ НАРКОТИК” (“Your Narcotic”) – a double entendre that plays on “котик” (kitty) as an emotional twist on street slang. The contrast between the hardened shell and the vulnerable interior is at the heart of Makarova’s message.

With oil and enamel technique, texture, and cultural symbolism, this piece bridges the gap between the ridiculous and the sincere, turning a street stereotype into something unexpectedly personal and soft.

Materials used:

jacket, oil, enamel

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