Cheap Chat I by Fernanda Lavera

This painting is made using acrylic, aerosols and markers. Painted on canvas.

Fernanda Lavera

Cheap Chat I

63 x 63 in (160.02 x 160.02 cm)

$32,000

Available

I traveled to Miami for an exhibition and stayed in the heart of the Art District. Each day, as I returned to my hotel, I found myself becoming part of the landscape. And yet, every evening, without fail, I’d pass by the same curious scene: a duck and a cat, seemingly engaged in a private negotiation. They always appeared deep in some silent exchange, as if making a deal only they understood.

That image lingered.

It was March 2022. The Russia–Ukraine war had just erupted, and the entire world was speaking—some with depth, others with care, and many with neither. I heard artists voicing their thoughts on war and death across social media, a painting conveniently placed behind them like a silent witness. Gallerists encouraged their artists to create war-themed work. Was it solidarity or opportunism?

And I wondered:

Will our consciousness remain untouched, or are we destined to echo empty phrases, like the quiet chatter between the duck and the cat?

This small scene became a symbol. It found its way to the canvas.

Short words.
Cheap chat.
Small talk.