States of Being I: The Self Becoming

by Olaug Vethal

• Vinyl acrylic on paper
• 48cm by 63cm
• 61.7cm by 77.7cm framed
• c. 1995-2006

In States of Being I: The Self Becoming, Olaug Vethal approaches the self-portrait not as a fixed likeness, but as an exploration of identity in continual transformation. The face emerges through
restless layers of colour and gesture, appearing simultaneously present and in the process of dissolving.

Vethal’s vigorous brushwork turns the physical body into a field of energy. Features shift between recognition and abstraction, suggesting that the self cannot be contained by outward appearance alone.

Within Vethal’s metaphysical world, the portrait becomes an inquiry into existence itself. The Self Becoming presents identity as fluid and unfinished: a state suspended between body and
consciousness, the visible self and the inner being, what we are and what we are continually becoming.

This work is currently hung at Spazju A, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta until 25th October 2026 as part of the exhibition ‘Beyond The Visible | The Metaphysical Worlds of Olaug Vethal, curated by Christine Xuereb and in collaboration with Christine X Art Gallery