Fluid & Identities/ volume 83

In this 83rd edition of Collect Art Magazine, we enter a space where boundaries soften, definitions shift, and identity reveals itself not as a fixed idea but as a living, evolving presence. This special issue, Fluid & Identities, gathers international artists whose works explore the beauty, tension, and complexity of becoming — of reshaping the self, of dissolving and reforming, of moving through the world in ways that defy singular labels.

Fluidity, in the context of contemporary art, is not merely a theme; it is a way of understanding existence. It suggests states of transformation, the in-between moments where edges blur and new forms begin to emerge. It asks: Who are we when we let go of rigid definitions? What happens when identity becomes less of a destination and more of a journey? The artists featured in this issue offer responses that are intimate, bold, and deeply personal. Through painting, photography, sculpture, multimedia, and conceptual work, they invite us to witness identity as motion — shaped by memory, culture, longing, and imagination.

Across the pages of this edition, readers will encounter a global conversation. These artists come from diverse countries, backgrounds, and traditions, each bringing their own perspective to the ever-shifting landscape of selfhood. For some, fluidity is expressed through the relationship between the body and the environment — how the body dissolves into light, water, or movement. For others, identity is examined through language, symbolism, emotional history, or the fracturing and rebuilding of personal narrative. The works presented here remind us that identity is not singular but layered, held in fragments that coexist, collide, and harmonize.

This issue also places particular emphasis on the lived experiences and voices behind the artwork. Through biographies, artist statements, and personalized interviews, readers are invited into the private worlds of creation — where vulnerability and experimentation take shape. These conversations reveal how fluid identity manifests not only in finished pieces but in process: in the hesitations, discoveries, and transformations that occur in the studio or on the page. The interviews showcase artists redefining what it means to belong, to express, and to evolve. Some speak of cultural hybridity, others of queerness, migration, memory, or shifting emotional landscapes. Together, they form a collective narrative about what it means to be human in a world where identity is continually renegotiated.

Visually, Fluid & Identities is a celebration of multiplicity. Some artworks flow with organic forms and subtle palettes, suggesting currents of thought and feeling. Others challenge the viewer with bold contrasts, fragmented imagery, or layered compositions that resist immediate interpretation. The diversity of style and medium reflects the central idea of this issue: identity is not one thing. It is color and shadow, clarity and ambiguity, stability and movement. It is shaped by the seen and the unseen, the expressed and the withheld.

In curating this edition, our aim has been to create a space that honors artists who embrace transformation and uncertainty as part of their creative truth. Their works remind us that fluidity is not a weakness but a strength — a capacity to adapt, to grow, to refuse confinement. In an era that often seeks to categorize and simplify, these artists courageously reveal the nuances, contradictions, and shimmering complexities of the self.