Mirrorless

Mirrorless acrylic on different layers of metal panels – 83×93 cm – 2026

Created on an aluminum support, Mirrorless originates from a process of material transformation that lies at the core of DutyGorn’s artistic research. The metal surface, composed of fragments of sheet metal marked by time, is first painted flat using spray paint and markers. Only afterwards is the plate cut, fragmented, and reassembled, generating a polyptych structure in which the image is reconstructed through interruptions and shifts.

The female face that emerges from the work is not a fixed image but a presence in constant redefinition. Fragmentation—an element recurring in the Polyptych series—becomes a visual device that disrupts the continuity of the figure and introduces a rhythm made of breaks, displacements, and recompositions. The portrait does not present itself as a compact surface, but as a field of tensions between fragments.

The metal itself plays an active role within the work. Its irregularities and reflective qualities transform the artwork into a surface responsive to the presence of the viewer. As one approaches, reflections, glimmers, and subtle shifts of light incorporate the observer’s own image into the space of the painting.

In this way, Mirrorless questions the traditional idea of the mirror. It does not return a clear and unified reflection, but rather a fragmented and shifting image. The viewer recognizes themselves within the work only through a partial perception, reconstructed by the act of looking.

The portrait thus becomes a place of encounter between different identities: that of the depicted figure, that of the artist, and that of the observer. As in other polyptych works by DutyGorn, the image is never definitive but remains open, shaped by time, material, and the presence of those who look at it.