Beyond the Visible II: Inner State

by Olaug Vethal

• Vinyl acrylics on paper
• 29.5cm by 42cm
• 32.8cm by 45.3cm framed
• c. 1995-2006

In Beyond the Visible II: Inner State, Olaug Vethal turns portraiture inward. The woman’s closed eyes and contemplative expression suggest withdrawal from the external world, while vigorous passages of green, yellow, black and flesh tones dissolve the boundaries between figure and surrounding space.

The painting recalls Kitagawa Utamaro’s bijin-ga, particularly his intimate portraits of women in which subtle expressions suggest private emotional and psychological states. Where Utamaro uses refined line and gesture, Vethal explores interiority through expressive colour and the physical movement of paint.

Within Vethal’s metaphysical world, the portrait becomes a threshold between visible appearance and invisible consciousness. Positioned between Becoming and Transcendence, Inner State represents the inward stage of this journey: a moment when the physical self remains present while consciousness seems to move beyond the immediately visible.

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