Shellac 15 manat, 2025

Oil on canvas

129 x 40, 129 x 40, 129 x 40 cm

“Shellac 15 manat” shows a typical nail tech in Azerbaijan, working from home.

Nail appointments, for me and many other women, often feel deeply personal—almost like a therapy session. You share your thoughts and problems, and she listens, offering advice and insight. My nail tech is someone I’ve known for years. She once had many dreams and aspirations, both for her personal life and career, but I have watched them slowly fade as the weight of reality settles in. Though she finds a certain satisfaction in her work, she struggles to make ends meet and lives with a profound loneliness.

She works from a small, dimly lit room that serves as both her bedroom and workspace. It’s in a temporary apartment the government provided after demolishing her previous home. The orange curtains over her window bathe the room in a dim, suffocating light, creating an atmosphere that feels both oppressive and strangely haunting. I often wonder what it feels like to come to terms with your life as it is, to find contentment despite it falling short of what you once imagined as a little girl. Through the painting “Shellac 15 manat”, I wanted to convey the difference between a woman who has lost dreams and aspirations and has come to terms with her current situation and a woman who still dreams big.