45 / 50 cm

Acrylic, fluorescent acrylic, luminescent acrylic 

Valera and His Girlfriend on the Red Light Street is part of the early series Valera Somewhere, created between 2020 and 2021 — a speculative visual narrative imagining the life of Valera, the artist’s first rescued pigeon, after his return to the city and to freedom. Within this fictional continuation, Valera drifts into Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where the work unfolds somewhere between fantasy, nightlife, tenderness, and urban absurdity.

At the centre of the composition stands Valera beside his girlfriend. The pigeon is depicted in a state of complete fascination: head tilted upward, eyes closed, beak open, tongue exposed — suspended in a moment of euphoric admiration. Beside him stands a female figure turned away from the viewer, partially undressed, becoming less a portrait than a projection of desire, intimacy, and performance. The composition deliberately avoids realism, operating instead through emotional exaggeration and theatrical presence.

The painting is constructed on a heavily textured surface dominated by deep reds and saturated tones associated with the visual language of nightlife, neon, and erotic spectacle. Under ultraviolet light, fluorescent layers begin to emerge, transforming the image into an altered nocturnal version of itself. In darkness, luminescent elements continue to glow independently, allowing the work to exist in multiple visual states — day, artificial nightlife, and afterimage.

As with other works from the series, the hand-built ash wood frame functions as an extension of the artwork rather than a neutral border. Embedded ultraviolet lighting activates the fluorescent paint while simultaneously charging the luminescent layers. The frame is designed both for hanging and for standing freely on the floor, reinforcing the object-like presence of the piece.

Integrated into the upper structure of the frame are carved compartments intended for a bong, a lighter, and a cup of tea — transforming the work into a hybrid between painting, furniture, ritual object, and scenography. These functional additions extend the narrative beyond the image itself, constructing an environment tied to pleasure, slowness, altered perception, and the intimate rituals of nightlife culture.

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