Spark of Defiance 2026 - oil on canvas

This self-portrait emerged from a difficult period. During a hospital stay following a severe depressive episode, an idea for the painting began to take shape. The image was partly sparked by an earlier encounter with a painting of Cleopatra in Madrid, whose presence lingered in a case for glasses, picked up at Prado´s museum store.

The work engages with the long art historical tradition of depicting the suicide of Cleopatra, a subject most famously associated with paintings by Guido Reni and many other artists. In classical representations, Cleopatra raises a venomous snake to her bare chest, allowing it to bite her as an act of deliberate death.

In this painting, the motif is reimagined through the language of self-portraiture. Instead of the snake, the artist brings a chili pepper to her chest and ignites a spark. The substitution transforms the historical gesture: rather than accepting death, the figure chooses life. The chili pepper becomes a symbol of vitality, passion, and the will to endure.

The artists cat sits beside her, referencing the ancient association of cats with protection and healing. Through this reinterpretation of a familiar image from art history, the work turns a traditional narrative of death into a personal reflection on survival, resilience, and the fragile boundary between destruction and renewal.