Make-up Mood Paintings by Anika Leila: Helping People Name and Understand their Emotions

London-based visual artist and fashion designer Anika Leila has been creating a series of emoji-like humanoid heads that convey different emotions. One is kissing another on the forehead, while another mockingly sticks out its tongue. These paintings of different emotions or moods are also represented by different colours, helping people better identify not only the depicted emotions but also their own emotions—the same way that an emotion wheel works in psychotherapy. 

Instead of using paint or pastels, these paintings were made with Leila’s own expired or old makeup. Paired with the fact that her humanoid faces appear gender neutral, Leila’s paintings seek to assert that just like her gender neutral personified moods, make-up—and to broaden its context—self expression is not bound to a certain gender. Hence, the paintings become a way for people to first identify their emotions, and then to affirm their emotional experience and expressions. This means that viewers of Leila’s work can better navigate their emotions and give them a chance to better regulate them, all so they can live life to the fullest. This is why Leila’s make-up mood paintings are relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Good Health And Well-Being and Gender Equality.

A study published by the American National Library of Medicine (NLM) found that masculine presenting and identifying people tend to suppress their emotions due to societal pressures. This has resulted in their poor emotional regulation compared to their feminine counterparts. This is where Anika Leila’s make-up mood paintings come in, to show that gendered norms should not dictate displays of emotions, all for the sake of everyone’s collective mental health.

Anika Leila’s make-up mood paintings provide an innovative space for people to recognize and express their emotions through art. By using expired make-up and gender-neutral faces to convey a range of moods, Leila challenges conventional gender norms tied to self-expression and emotional openness. Her artwork invites viewers to identify and accept their emotions without judgment, much like an emotion wheel used in therapy. This approach affirms the importance of emotional well-being and advocates for gender equality in emotional expression.

Find out more about make-up mood paintings and other pieces by Anika Leila on her website www.anikaleila.com or Instagram @anikaleila.