ELZA KUTLUBAEVA GAUTIER

« I paint at the border of two worlds: the European classical tradition that shaped me, and the Bashkir ornamental heritage that runs through my blood. Born in the Ural Mountains, now living in France, I carry this constant dialogue between East and West. My canvases arise from a need to reconcile the monumental and the intimate. I weave together contemplative figures, transfigured landscapes, and calligraphic motifs inherited from my people. The colors—muted yet luminous—seek that suspended hour when reality tips into dream. I don't illustrate folklore—I reinvent it, let it breathe in a contemporary pictorial language. Each painting is an attempt to return to a place that perhaps exists only in memory. »