Natasha Lelenco, Official Poet, 2021, Mixed Media on Pine Wood

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This hand-finished mixed media artwork by Natasha Lelenco forms part of her acclaimed project The Important Bigwigs, a satirical series … Read more This hand-finished mixed media artwork by Natasha Lelenco forms part of her acclaimed project The Important Bigwigs, a satirical series portraying forty-five fictional archetypes that expose the vanities and delusions of ego-driven characters. Official Poet is number 12 of a limited edition of 20 of The Poet in the collection and draws on the aesthetics of institutional portraiture to mock the self-congratulatory tone of public recognition and hollow cultural status. Rendered with vibrant acrylic layers over a chemically transferred digital base on wood, the piece captures a pompous yet fragile character whose poetic identity thrives on local flattery, commemorative plaques, and ceremonial wine. Lelenco employs her signature figurative distortion—enlarged features, exaggerated hair, intense gaze—to reflect the absurdity and theatricality of institutional validation. Created from the digital scan of the original 2016 painting (now lost to fire), this limited edition of 20 pieces is individually signed and manually finished by the artist, making each work a unique reinterpretation. As with the full series, Official Poet is designed for standalone display or as part of multi-panel installations that amplify the visual chorus of flawed human archetypes. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less