Artist Statement

Decomposition, 2009

"Traditional still life is an austere, crowded scene depicting a plethora of earthly delights. The scene is conspicuous in its intent…its highly decorative style seduces the will. It portrays prime specimens that sit heavy, swollen and bursting with color…ready for consumption. Everything rests grounded within a flat plain and has an even focus throughout…ideal yet illusory. It is a center piece…the elements are centralized and sedative in nature, hence the term still life…it is dead and yet, it is palatable.
In contrast, I have taken a minimalist approach to composition by using only fundamental features such as light, form and structure, which are viewed against a monochromatic backdrop. Each figure has its own space, and the light and shadow give it a volume that creates an undulating effect. There is no flat plain, foreground and background blend into one. Elements fall in and out of focus, not unlike what we experience in reality when we observe a thing. The figures seem to hover as if held in suspension by some invisible force. There is a sensation of tension…the kind that surfaces just before an action takes place. It’s as if the elements are on the verge of stirring…of moving forward. There is a sense of anticipation and mystery. Unlike traditional still life, the specimens depicted are not at all appetizing. They are in decomposition. To observe them one would notice the thick patches of green mold, the shriveled skin and loss of color. They are in deterioration yet ironically, they reverberate with life." (Doleatto, 2009)

Artist Bio

Katyuska Doleatto was born in Turin, Italy on Nov. 4, 1971. Her family moved to Ottawa when she was five, and at seventeen she returned to Italy where she spent the following four years studying theater and teaching English in Rome. In 2004 she graduated from Ryerson University where she received a B.F.A in Image Arts - Photographic studies. Katyuska is fascinated with objects and their inherent nostalgic qualities. Her constructions are often narratives that explore the idea of beauty, transformation and the anthropomorphic. She has received numerous awards for her work which has been featured in galleries throughout Toronto and
Montreal, and can also be found in private collections throughout Canada, Europe and the U.S. Katyuska resides in Toronto, and is currently assistant to Arnaud
Maggs, Spring Hurlbut and Geoffrey James.