Lina Iris Viktor was born in London to Liberian parents in 1987 and after studying film in the USA she moved to a largely self-taught visual art practice. Viktor's art includes performance, photography, painting, and sculpture, and often features her as a central figure, her unique approach to self-portraiture and the use of traditional gilding techniques adding an important sculptural dimension. Her work, known for its rich, opulent aesthetic and use of black, gold, and ultramarine blue, explores themes of identity, heritage, and the human condition, and is deeply informed by various cultural and historical influences, from Mesopotamian cuneiform to African tribal motifs, while her recent shift towards abstraction marks a new phase in her artistic journey.
Multidisciplinary artist Lina Iris Viktor was born in London to Liberian parents in 1987. Her early exposure to a diverse mix of nationalities and religions at Marymount, an international Catholic boarding school in London, profoundly shaped her worldview and fostered an appreciation for different cultures, so evident in her art. Drawn to the performing arts, Viktor moved to the USA to study theatre. However, she encountered racial stereotyping there, in contrast to her more inclusive experiences in London, which led her to shift from performing arts to film. She earned her BA in film at Sarah Lawrence College, New York, and initially worked in the film industry. Eventually, Viktor transitioned to a studio art practice, where she is largely self-taught, seeking a creative space free from the racial constraints she had previously encountered.
Viktor gained recognition as a visual artist in the mid-2010s, especially for her self-portraits that incorporated black-and-white photography and gold leaf. Encompassing performance, photography, painting, and sculpture, her work is characterised by a rich, opulent aesthetic. She often uses a limited but striking colour palette, dominated by luminous blacks, golds, crimson reds, and ultramarine blues, which give her work a regal and mystical quality. Her art explores multifaceted notions of blackness — as colour, material, and socio-political consciousness, viewing black as the source, the ‘dark matter’ of creation (Autograph). Her self-portraits, frequently blending black-and-white photography with gold leaf and a sculptural paint application, often feature her posing as an ‘ancient prophetess’ (Daily Telegraph). These works are rich in symbolic meaning, exploring themes of identity, heritage, and the human condition.
Viktor employs the traditional water gilding technique to apply 24-carat gold leaf. This process involves careful surface preparation with primers and resins, followed by the delicate application of the gold leaf, with large-scale pieces taking months to complete. The artist describes her gilded surfaces as creating a ‘sculptural landscape’ or ‘topography’ in her work (Copley 2018). She has also explored new materials and forms, such as marble, ceramic, bronze, and wood. Viktor's works are deeply informed by diverse cultural and historical references, weaving together elements from various epochs and civilisations, including Mesopotamian cuneiform writing, Ancient Egyptian iconography and hieroglyphs, Indigenous Australian art, Renaissance art, and African tribal motifs. This synthesis of influences reflects her interest in the interconnectedness of different cultures and histories. Her art often explores themes related to mythology, history, and the cosmos. She is interested in the universal aspects of human thought and knowledge, and her work frequently explores philosophical and metaphysical questions. Curator Renée Mussai described Viktor as ‘a gifted alchemist’ who ‘skilfully conjures layers of visible darkness and chromatic nuance: potent mediations on blackness and being […]’ (Autograph).
Viktor has also started to explore abstraction in her art, critiquing contemporary figurative art for its lack of innovation and notes its trend-like saturation, especially in identity exploration, stating that ‘figuration is not really pushing any conversational boundaries’ (White 2023). Acknowledging the appeal of the relatable human form within figurative works, she nevertheless observes a thematic uniformity, particularly in works by Black artists, which has driven her shift towards abstraction as a way to diverge from these trends and innovate in her artistic expression. Viktor’s abstract works maintain her characteristic use of gold and intricate patterns, but venture into more map-like, complex compositions. Her own move to Sorrento, Italy, has also influenced her pace and style of work, allowing her to integrate the rich historical and material context of her surroundings into her art.
Viktor’s first solo exhibition was held at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2018. Her first major UK solo show, Some Are Born to Endless Night — Dark Matter, took place at Autograph London in 2019–20. It included the Dark Continent series, portraying Viktor as a solitary female figure in monochromatic landscapes with gilded solar and lunar symbols. The Black Ark installation, commissioned by Autograph, was inspired by Liberian fisherman nets and mashrabiyas, exploring themes of race, history, and ownership. Viktor’s reinterpretation of the Libyan Sybil in A Haven. A Hell. A Dream Deferred examined narratives of migration, colonialism, and oppression. Group exhibitions have included In the Black Fantastic (2022), curated by Ekow Eshun at the Hayward Gallery, featuring 11 contemporary artists from the African diaspora; Rites of Passage at Gagosian's Britannia Street gallery (2023), curated by Péjú Oshin and showcasing artists exploring the concept of 'liminal space' and postcolonial Black identity in the context of migration and cultural rituals. Viktor’s contribution to these exhibitions reflects her new abstract and intuitive artistic direction. Her artworks, using gold to explore the theme of ‘mercurial’ nature, challenge gold's perceived permanence and draw parallels with the transformative journey symbolised by the Roman deity Mercury. Viktor’s work is not currently represented in UK public collections.