Meet Lina Iris Viktor and Her Gilded African Queens

When Lina Iris Viktor started her artistic journey, she gained recognition for her stunning portraits. These works combine painting, sculpture, performance, photography, and the ancient gilding technique using 24-carat gold. She crafts a unique reality filled with ideas about infinity, the cosmos, and eternity. Her symbols and intricate patterns explore the connections between art, prophecy, and spirituality.

Decomposing the References

In Viktor’s portraits, a Black woman figure always takes center stage. However, Viktor’s approach to blackness differs from that of other artists. For her, it goes beyond race or social and political issues. It is materia prima, the first matter; it is the color we see when looking into the night sky and space. Black represents a primordial force in the universe, far greater than humanity. By painting her main figure black, she celebrates this concept.

The figure in Viktor’s portraits poses regally, an homage to the Libyan Sibyl from classic mythology (the prophetic priestess presiding over the Oracle of Zeus-Ammon in the Libyan Desert). The Libyan Sibyl, who foresees and tells of bad futures, is often depicted holding her head in classic paintings. She also appears frequently in the art and literature of the American abolitionist movement. Viktor incorporates both these aspects, paying tribute to the Sibyl. By using Liberian iconography, she emphasizes the depth and complexity of African history and experience.

The figures in Viktor’s portraits are always intentionally beautiful. Viktor believes that beauty quickly captures people’s attention and sparks their imagination. Once she has their attention, she reveals her messages. She believes people are naturally drawn to beauty, and even though its interpretation varies, she believes beauty, as a concept, is universal.

Additionally, gold is a constant element in Viktor’s portraits, applied using the ancient technique of gilding. Drawing inspiration and techniques from various eras and cultures, she opposes the human tendency to compartmentalize, believing that knowledge and thought are universal.

Are These Self-Portraits?

A Haven, A Hell, A Dream Deferred

In the 2010s, Lina Iris Viktor unveiled a series of self-portraits combining black and white photography, gold leaves, and a sculptural painting technique. Using luminous blacks, crimson reds, and Majorelle blues, these regal portraits feature intricate sculptural motifs meticulously applied to the canvases.

These works evoke images of ancient Egyptian goddesses, Madonnas, Yves Klein, and other influences. Her mixed media paintings narrate Liberia’s history. Bold red lines symbolize tropical foliage, geometric patterns mimic Liberia’s flag stripes, and the red, white, and blue colors reflect the shared iconography of Liberia and the US. Viktor aims to offer a fresh perspective on lost narratives linking the US to Liberia.

The central figure, once again, is the Libyan Sibyl, adorned in patterns of Dutch wax fabrics. The title draws inspiration from Langston Hughes’ “Montage of A Dream Deferred,” reflecting the unrealized dreams and broken promises in the Black American experience. The series aims to educate about Liberia’s misconceptions and highlight the African diaspora’s cultural history and significance.

The artist’s main goal is to educate about African history and how Africans see themselves, especially in a global context, aiming to instill pride and power. This is crucial for Africans living on the continent who face negative and biased global narratives in media and education. More urgently, it matters for those in the diaspora who are removed from the continent. Many people of African descent have never visited their ancestral homeland and are mentally and emotionally disconnected due to the subversive tactics and teachings since the rise of slavery.

The Sculptures of Lina Iris Viktor

The artist has two solo exhibitions in 2024. The first is at Pilar Corrias, her representing gallery, in the spring. The second is at the Sir John Soane Museum in London later in the year. Both exhibitions feature her recent ventures into sculpture and monochromatic gold abstractions. These new works are displayed alongside pieces by César, Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, and Yves Klein, all of whom have influenced her work.

In these new pieces, traces of self-portraiture are gone. Instead, there are intricate, map-like golden surfaces that dazzle the eye. One reason for this shift is Viktor’s belief that figurative art, especially for black artists, doesn’t offer new insights into identity. Another reason is her expanded use of materials. She explores space through sculpture, drawing inspiration from Yves Klein. Viktor uses natural materials like gold, marble, bronze, and wood, emphasizing their spiritual and eternal qualities while stripping away associations with wealth.

Additionally, her abstract works strongly reference architecture. Viktor, deeply interested in architecture, blends it with space-building, experience-building, painting, sculpture, and film.