Cosmopolitan Korea highlights Elena Gual as one of the recommended artists to see at KIAF Seoul 2026. In the interview, Gual introduces her new series, exploring female portraiture, nature, flowers, memory and heritage, while reflecting on her distinctive use of the palette knife to capture presence, texture and emotion. She also discusses women as a constant source of inspiration and a central question behind her work: what do we preserve, and what do we choose to pass on to future generations?
Could you introduce the works you will be presenting at KIAF Seoul this year?
I will be presenting a new series. Alongside the female portraits that have appeared throughout my work, ceramic vessels, flowers, and elements of nature also emerge as central subjects. These are not simply objects, but symbols of memory and heritage. The series reflects on what we inherit from previous generations and what we choose to preserve.
Women have always been central figures and subjects in your work. Why have you chosen women as your main personas?
I have always been drawn to women because of the infinite emotions and symbolism they embody. To me, women possess an extraordinary balance between strength and delicacy.
Your way of painting female portraits exclusively with a palette knife is particularly striking. What is the first thing you try to capture when you paint?
Rather than portraying a specific person, I try to express their presence. When I look at someone, I imagine what moment in life that person might be going through. Even the same face can result in a completely different painting depending on what that person has experienced and what they are feeling.
The palette knife is a tool that allows me to express myself instinctively. Rather than rendering every detail precisely, I try to capture an emotional impression through gesture, texture, and light.
The women in your paintings can appear strong, but at times they also seem to carry a certain sadness.
That is an interesting interpretation. But I do not consciously paint sadness, nor do I think the women in my works are sad. Rather than expressing one specific emotion, what I want to convey is their inner world—something like a sense of stillness: calm, grounded, and centered. To me, stillness is a space in which many different emotions can naturally coexist.
Is there a woman who inspires you right now?
Every woman in the world! I find inspiration in women who possess their own unique sensitivity and strength, even if they are not widely known. Recently, I have been especially drawn to women who preserve traditional techniques or cultural practices while reinterpreting them for the present and carrying them forward.
Perhaps, in the end, the question my work leaves us with is this: What remains? What do we want to pass on to the next generation?
