Veta Gorner

Veta Gorner (b. 1974, Tajikistan) is a contemporary printmaker whose work navigates the territory between physical presence and psychological depth. Now based in the United Kingdom, Gorner’s career has been shaped by her own experiences of cultural transition, displacement, and adaptation—elements that continue to infuse her prints with layers of meaning. Her work demonstrates how traditional printmaking can speak powerfully to contemporary concerns of identity, vulnerability, and transformation.

At the heart of Gorner’s practice lies the human form, often fractured, abstracted, or elongated. She renders her figures with bold, sweeping lines and sharp contrasts that highlight the tension between strength and fragility. These forms are rarely presented as complete or harmonious; instead, they appear as fragments, gestures, or silhouettes that suggest states of internal conflict. This formal language becomes a metaphor for the complexities of human existence, where beauty and unease are held in balance.

Themes of memory, dislocation, and transformation recur throughout her prints, echoing both personal history and broader cultural narratives. Gorner’s work is not concerned with literal representation but rather with distillation—boiling the body down to its essential forms so that gesture and movement alone can evoke profound emotional resonance. In this way, her art captures the in-between spaces of identity: what is remembered and forgotten, seen and hidden, strong and vulnerable.

Gorner’s prints have been featured in solo and group exhibitions across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, drawing recognition for their expressive intensity and technical precision. Her works are held in numerous public and private collections, affirming her place within the evolving field of contemporary printmaking. By merging classical draftsmanship with raw psychological insight, Gorner keeps the centuries-old tradition of printmaking alive and relevant, demonstrating its ability to address the human condition with both immediacy and depth.