"A Certain Moment/Kindel Hetk" - Marita Liivak

Marita Liivak

Oil and Acrylic on canvas

100x150cm

Thanks to Marita, I had the opportunity to think more deeply about the topics of a woman's body and self-acceptance. When I started photographing and filming myself, I realized how vulnerable I really am. In the process, a new perspective opened up to me, how society views a woman's body and how much taboos related to it can affect self-esteem.

Why are there so many taboo topics around the female body? This is the question that makes me think. After all, someone could ask why it is necessary to take a picture of yourself or why it should matter to anyone. But when I think about this painting, it is not just a picture, but a work of art that speaks more deeply about the diversity and contradictions of the female body.

A woman's body often tends to be under pressure in society - striving for an ideal, conforming to norms. Through the painting, it becomes possible to look beyond the outer shell, body weight and forms. It's like an insight that actually shapes us as people. Emphasis on women's appearance, ideals of beauty and constant comparison with someone else can cause dissatisfaction with one's own body. Even I, aware of this source of pressure, sometimes feel inadequate.

This painting represents a moment in my life when I am busy with multiple jobs, struggling with stress and feeling how my body reacts to it all. I am portrayed exactly as I am - not as a woman shaped by an ideal beauty ideal, but as real, real and honest.

Looking at this painting, I see not only a work of art, but also a message about self-acceptance and how a woman's body is constantly changing. It's a reminder that we should respect and love our bodies just the way they are, because it's the carrier of our lives and experiences.