In an era of instability and constant change, the human need for a secure space—a place to retreat from the outside world and preserve what is valuable—is growing.This study examines interiority through the imagery of inner space, shell, and shelter in art. Using sculpture, installations, and objects as examples, it investigates how form, material, and interaction with the body convey ideas of safety, vulnerability, and preservation.The goal of this research is to identify the visual language through which art expresses humanity’s desire for protection and the safeguarding of personal space.

Introduction1. The Shell Principle: Forms of enclosure, preservation, packaging, and bioform.2. Home and Memory: Personal objects as carriers of safety3. Body and Space: Site-specific art4. The Aesthetics of a Safe Environment in Contemporary Fashion and DesignConclusion

The self-portrait in contemporary art functions as a means of artistic self-representation. The artist can construct their own image not only through the depiction of the face or body but also through the surrounding space. The absence of a direct depiction becomes an independent artistic device. The interest in individuality, introduced during the Renaissance and amplified by Romanticism, gradually expanded the boundaries of the self-portrait genre. Today, it transcends traditional portraiture and becomes a tool for exploring identity, memory, and subjective experience. The main question is: what artistic means shape the self-portrait in contemporary art?

Introduction1. Personal Space as Self-Portrait: An Intimate Environment2. Corporeality: The Absence of the Human Figure as a Source of Form and Semantic Content3. Existence as an Artistic Gesture: An Action Confirming One’s Own Presence.4. Artistic Principles of the «Self-Portrait» in Contemporary Fashion and DesignConclusion

This research focuses on the boundary as a method of separating an individual from the outside world and protecting personal space. It is examined as both a physical and psychological barrier—akin to a fence—that restricts access and regulates interaction with others.

The work engages with artistic practices that explore defense, distance, and isolation. Addressing this theme connects to the challenge of maintaining individual space amid constant social interaction and the blurring of lines between the personal and the public.

How does contemporary art interpret the boundary as a means of isolating an individual and protecting their personal space?

Introduction

1. Reticular Structures: Grid, Interweaving, and Modularity

2. Threshold Spaces: Between Concealment and Restriction

3. Personal Boundaries: Bodily Contact, Distances, and Interaction

4. The Image of the Boundary in Contemporary Fashion and Design

Conclusion