Becoming, or Being Myself a Bird of Ill Omen

Description

Title: Becoming, or Being Myself a Bird of Ill Omen
Artist: ArNoUx
Year: 2025
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Estimated Size: Approx. 16×24 inches
Movement: German Expressionism / Figurative Abstraction

Curatorial Description:
In this haunting and visceral work, ArNoUx confronts the psychological violence of projection and societal labeling. A fragmented figure, partially human and partially consumed by shadow, stares back with blurred eyes and a flower caught like a remnant of innocence in her hair. Behind her, an eerie birdlike apparition emerges—ambiguous, foreboding, and nearly indistinguishable from the background.

The piece channels the raw emotional palette of German Expressionism, capturing the inner transformation of someone repeatedly called an “ill omen,” until she begins to believe it herself. The brushstrokes are heavy, confessional, and layered with pain. Red shapes below hint at both violence and resistance—human dignity attempting to remain intact.

This painting is not only a portrait, but a warning: what we say about others can reshape them. And sometimes, our words forge monsters out of misunderstood souls.