Alena Tereshko

About the artwork

Roman Charity. After P.P. Rubens continues the series Why F. Within this project, I recreate masterpieces of pictorial art from the perspective of a model in the painting, creating my own collection of “fraudulent art works.” The exhibition consists of two parts: a painting and an essay film. The film essay intertwines the history of the painting’s creation, comparing fragments of Rubens’ life story with elements of my own personal history.

“When we address this topic—the sexual interaction between father and daughter—we acknowledge that in practically all cultures, this contact is forbidden. The father steps outside human social norms at this moment, as does the daughter. Yet paradoxically, this act might represent the height of humanity—a desperate compassion: breastfeeding one’s father to prevent his starvation in prison. This tension between transgression and compassion reveals the complex moral heart of ‘Roman Charity.'” (from a conversation with psychoanalyst Elena Kostyleva)

About the artist

Alena Tereshko (b. 1986, Siberia) works in her art practice with autobiography and humour, blending personal narratives with social critique. Grounded in feminist studies, her performance-based work spans diverse forms of expression, including painting, video, and installations. Alena is particularly interested in how contemporary phenomena and tradition (folklore or traditional art) are intertwined in the arts.