Slasky - The Romanov Twins

Giclée on Hahnemühle 350 g/m² + certificate of authenticity

The Romanov Twins
Artist: Slasky (based on Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun)
Original work title: Portrait of Grand Duchesses Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna (1796)
Intervention: Digital neon installation

Description and Critique
In this provocative neo-pop work, Italian artist Slasky creates a semantic short circuit between the aristocratic elegance of the late 18th century and the disturbing aesthetics of auteur horror cinema. The original portrait by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, which celebrates the grace and fraternal complicity of the Zar’s daughters, is reinterpreted here through the addition of a red neon sign framing the figures.

The chosen text, “Come and play with us, forever... and ever... and ever,” is the famous quote of the Grady twins from Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining. This insertion radically transforms the perception of the subjects:
Coloristic and Formal Contrast: The vivid red of the neon breaks the soft, pastel palette typical of Le Brun’s Neoclassicism, projecting a sinister, contemporary light onto the grand duchesses’ faces.

Narrative Dissonance:
The innocence of the original subjects is replaced by a sense of unease. Grand Duchesses Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna lose their historical identity to become icons of a collective horror imaginary, playing on the theme of the “double” and eternal (and spectral) childhood.

Stylistic Anachronism:
Slasky fuses court painting with mass pop culture, creating a work that challenges the viewer about the persistence of classical art in the digital era and its capacity to absorb new meanings, even the darkest ones.

The work stands as a masterful example of Urban Classicism, where the past is not merely cited but “activated” by new and unsettling media vibrations.

UNFRAMED
Slasky is an Italian digital artist; his works have been exhibited worldwide, including at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and published in fashion, tattoo, and art magazines. He is known for his 360° digital technique, which he uses to create immersive and surreal images. His works explore themes such as nature, identity, and perception; he is an innovative and visionary artist contributing to defining the future of digital art.

A dialogue between 17th-century Flemish painting and contemporary visual language, questioning power, authorship, and permanence

Slasky is an Italian digital artist; his works have been exhibited worldwide, including at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and published in fashion, tattoo, and art magazines. He is known for his 360° digital technique, which he uses to create immersive and surreal images. His works explore themes such as nature, identity, and perception; he is an innovative and visionary artist contributing to defining the future of digital art.

FACE 2 FACE

March 5th
Laundry Studios
2 Warburton Rd, London E8 3RT
UK

Tokyo Open Art | Art on Loop Exhibition
Venue Address
3 Chome-20-18 Jingumae, Shibuya,
Tokyo 150-0001,
Japan

Parallax Art Fair
Kensington Town Hall
Hornton Street
London
W8 7NX

2024
Solo Exhibition
CONTEMPORARY VENICE
Palazzo Pisani-Revedin
S. Marco, 4013A , 30124 Venice, Italy

ARTLAB
Benjamin Eck Gallery
Munich, Germany

2021
MIA Fair
The Information Photography Art Fair Italy
Milan, Italy

ST-ART, STRASBOURG 2021
25 - 28 NOV. 2021
PARC EXPO STRASBOURG

SM’ART AIX-EN-PROVENCE, 2021
14 - 18 OCTOBER 2021
BOOTH 123A

2021
MIA Fair
The Information Photography Art Fair Italy
Milan, Italy

Lausanne Art Fair
Beaulieu Lausanne
Booth 59
Swiss

Lille ArtUp 2021
Lille, France

StreetArt//UrbanArt
Legnano, Italy

2020
Woodward Gallery
WashYourHands Exhibition
New York City, NY

RedSheep Gallery
Work in Paper
Stockholm, Sweden

2019

Wopart Art Fair 2019 / Centro Esposizioni - Lugano, Swiss

Lang Leve Rembrandt
Rijks Museum Amsterdam