Natasha Lelenco, Rock and Roll Gesture with Organic Hand Vegetal Form, 2026, Acrylic on Panel

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In Always in Rock Mode, the iconic rock and roll hand gesture — a sign of rebellion, affirmation and performative … Read more In Always in Rock Mode, the iconic rock and roll hand gesture — a sign of rebellion, affirmation and performative identity — is reimagined through an organic, vegetal form, displacing its digital immediacy into the realm of embodied, living matter. This contemporary painting is part of You Are The One, an ongoing project by Moldovan-born artist Natasha Lelenco exploring identity, repetition and communication through the visual codes of the digital age. Within the subseries No Valid Name, Lelenco isolates simplified gestures commonly associated with emojis, stickers and pop culture symbols, examining how they function as compressed units of meaning in contemporary visual language. At the center of the composition appears an organic hand-like form inspired by Buddha’s hand citrus. Rendered through vegetal matter rather than flesh, the form unmistakably recalls the iconic rock and roll hand gesture—a sign historically linked to rebellion, affirmation, belonging and performative identity. By translating this rock gesture into an organic body, the artist displaces its cultural immediacy, reconnecting it with the physical, the biological and the non-human. Surrounding vertical vegetal elements rise from the dark ground, reinforcing the sensation of an ecosystem rather than a stage. These forms situate the gesture within a continuum shared by human, animal and plant life, dissolving clear boundaries between categories. Communication here is no longer verbal or digital, but morphological: meaning is generated through resemblance, repetition and collective recognition. Across You Are The One, Lelenco reflects on how contemporary communication increasingly relies on icons, emojis and stickers to replace complex emotional or linguistic exchange. In Always in Rock Mode, the rock and roll gesture becomes both familiar and estranged—stripped of sound, subculture and immediacy, and transformed into a silent, contemplative sign. What once functioned as an expressive outburst is re-read as a looped symbol, suspended between spontaneity and automatism. This work forms a conceptual diptych with Sí a todo, also part of the No Valid Name subseries and currently available in our catalog. Together, the two paintings explore complementary modes of non-verbal communication—affirmation and expression—through organic gestures that echo the visual economy of contemporary digital culture. The works can be acquired individually or presented as a paired installation; collectors interested in both pieces are welcome to get in touch to discuss a joint acquisition and potential preferential pricing. Executed in acrylic on panel mounted on a stretcher, the painting is conceived as a self-contained object, ready to hang, and suitable for both private collections and curated contemporary interiors. Medium: Acrylic on panel mounted on stretcher Dimensions: 60 × 60 × 4 cm Series: You Are The One – No Valid Name Installation: Ready to hang 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



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