Stanislava Romanova

Initially, I approached this work with a warm message.

For me, female solidarity is an ideology I strive towards — something I would like to see as a widespread reality in the world. With this painting, I wanted to portray women as warmer and more compassionate towards one another: not competing, but supporting each other.

However, my pink dreams quickly collided with reality — literally while I was painting this work. Personal experience exposed the contradictions within human relationships and reminded me how deeply dual human nature can be.

My expectations revealed my own anxiety and distrust, shaped by experience.

As a result, I chose to portray female solidarity not as an idealized concept, but as a complex and emotionally contradictory space — one that reflects our reality.

The naked bodies symbolize vulnerability and the complexity of human relationships.

The tightly positioned figures, creating an effect of intertwining, reflect the desire to get closer to one another. Yet their facial expressions remain indifferent, revealing emotional detachment and an inner distance.

The claws and the closed mouth of one of the figures are key symbols in the painting. They point to distrust rooted in pain — an attempt to protect oneself by concealing vulnerability.

The colour palette was also chosen intentionally.

The reddish-brown — the colour of blood — evokes both warmth and anxiety. It resembles an “open wound”: perhaps mine alone, or perhaps one shared by many women.

Through this work, I explore my personal experiences of relationships between women and draw attention to the question of female solidarity.

Because true strength lies in unity.