Language

Weronika

 

 

My exhibition aims to capture the beauty and uniqueness of feminine features, challenging the stereotypes and expectations. My body of work explores in particular ideas of human imperfection and the possible distortion of the way one perceives the world and the others. This body of work intends to make the viewer focus on and admire the details of the female body. The exhibition presents pieces varying from more realistic and expressionist to more abstract ones as well as 2D and 3D works. I aim to create a space for the viewers to wander around and reflect upon the details of my pieces as well as the exhibition as a whole.

I intend to convey the idea that everyone sees their body and surroundings differently - in different shapes, lines and colors, and this visual aesthetic is an important element of my work. Thus, I experiment with different color palettes and media - fabric, paint, plaster, ceramic. I developed and modified my ideas throughout the creation of each piece - working with layers of paint or glue stencils, embracing imperfections, and adding new textures. My creating process started with more geometric, abstract pieces made using paint like Duo or Rope. I later started working with fabric and thread. I also experimented with lines using ribbon, stitching, and stencil. This can be seen in True Beauty, Mask I, and Your Maze - the works through which I aimed to depict the human body in unconventional, sometimes abstract ways. I work with the contrasts of the uncontrollable ink, geometric elements and free floating lines. The theme of the female body and sinuous lines trailing through my works are the dominant ones.

Artist inspiration played an important role in my idea development. My prominent inspiration is the style of Egon Schiele. I was mainly influenced by how he depicts women, his line, color palette, but also the spontaneous drawn nature of his works. I aim to create a similar effect on the viewers of my exhibition.

The space of my exhibition has the shape of a right angle which allowed me to place my big, canvas pieces high on walls and my 3D pieces on plinths, creating an area to walk around and view the sculptures from every side. I chose to hang my 2D pieces high, making it possible to view them from afar that created greater impact. This also served to achieve my goal of perceiving the contrast in individual works as well as between the pieces themselves. I chose to juxtapose the more geometric, abstract pieces with the figurative ones between. I placed the 3D works on plinths further away from the walls creating more space and dimension in my exhibition. I suspended Woman kneeling on transparent wire, tiling away from the wall surface. This allowed me to play with the light piercing through the semi-transparent paper of the piece.

As the audience moves through my exhibition they will be able to experience the undeniable beauty of the female body and organic shapes. I want the audience to experience an intriguing journey guided by the motif of lines that run through many of my pieces. I hope the viewers will feel the playful yet passionate atmosphere in my work. The organic shapes and patterns are important in my interpretation of portraits and figures and in understanding the beauty of the world around us.
 

 

 

Rope (December 2020)

Acrylic on canvas

30cm x 24 cm

Rope was painted from my own photograph and aimed to realistically depict the subject. It was inspirated by paintings of ropes in artworks by Donato Bramante’s Christ at the column and Antonello da Messina’s Christ at the column. I also analysed the structure and appearance of ropes in Eva Hesse’s Untitled (Rope Piece). I painted different tones to add depth and realism to my work. This small painting initiated my interest in organic and curved lines that run throughout many of my artworks.

Duo (June 2021)

Acrylic paint on canvas

120 x 80 cm

This piece was inspired by a photograph I took of my two friends. I was aiming for a geometrical, abstract look of the two silhouettes. Gail Ragains’ way of using shape and colour influenced me to experiment with the colour palette, styles of painting, and brushstrokes. I implemented a one line drawing on top of my painting, adding onto the abstract effect but also creating a vague outline of human features.

 

 

Concertina 1 (September 2020)

Mixed material on paper (ink, masking tape, fragments of newspaper

120 x 28 cm

Concertina 1 is inspired by the art of Sumi-e, which is a type of Japanese ink drawing. The technique I used is inspired by the works of Karen Stamper - working with a concertina and mixed media. This piece is meant to symbolise how nature is trapped in the environment of the city, yet manages to thrive. This piece can be viewed from any side since the leaves and branches seem to grow from every direction. The contrast between thin and thick lines represent the variety of flora in a metropolis.

 

 

Woman Kneeling (February 2022)

Glue, spray paint on tracing paper

42 x 59,5 cm

Woman kneeling is an outline of a female figure made using glue on a glass pane that I later detached and coloured with layers of spray paint. In this piece I experiment with distortion and expressionism. I was inspired by Yves Klein’s performance art and the idea of art being created as an outcome of other actions. Woman kneeling was used to create is meant to embody desire and passion through the warm colour palette and the abstract figure of a nude woman. 

 

 

Wave (November 2020)

Ceramic, glaze

26cm x 8cm x 24 cm

I gained inspiration from a collage I made out of scans of my concertina piece. I thought the shapes were interesting and they reminded me of  waves and lights reflecting on the water surface. I was inspired by Richard Deacon’s and Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures. I researched how these artists work with dimension, focusing on pieces that had holes piercing through them. Thus, my main goals were to form a tunnel piercing through my piece and to capture the organic shape of water reflections.

 

 

Little pleasures (October 2021)

Ink on canvas

8,5 cm x 6,5 cm

Little Pleasures is a miniature ink painting depicting a female torso. The very thin, almost distorted figure is inspired by the style of Egon Schiele who often presents female bodies hyperbolising their bone structure. Little Pleasures’ purpose is to capture the beauty of feminine features using delicate lines and the different colours of ink mixing and transforming into each other due to the watery nature of ink.

 

 

True beauty (October 2021)

Thread and ink on canvas

130cm x 90cm

In True beauty I investigate the distorted yet beautiful human figure that goes against beauty standards. I was inspired by André Azevedo who often works with mixed media collaging images together. I worked with an uncontrolled use of ink on a canvas of a big format. The style and line of the silhouette in my piece are inspired by Egon Schiele and his distortion and depiction of an anorexic human body. The loose and tangled threads in my piece are meant to mimic the style of a pencil drawing.

 

 

Mask I (November 2021)

Thread on fabric and quilt

30cm x 45cm

In Mask I I am trying to represent androgyny and its complexity by the patchwork background, abstract embroidery and features. Mask I represents a contour of an androgynous face and bust. In This work I was inspired by Lucien Freud and his distortion of the human features. The embroidered designs are inspired by works of Alice Kettle who works with abstract stitching in her pieces. I also explored the technique of quilting, adding texture and different surface levels to my piece.

 

 

Cage (January 2022)

Kapok, fabric and thread on a wire structure

50cm x 25cm x 20cm

Cage is inspired by human anatomy and the fact that despite the external differences, inside everyone is the same. The style is partly inspired by Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures but also the works of Karine Jollet. I decided to suspend a fabric heart inside the rib cage structure, attaching it by threads. I researched the works of Anne Wolf and Rosa Verloop to create the stuffed form of the heart with stitching details. Cage aims to represent human fragility and internal beauty.

 

 

Your maze (diptych) (February 2022)

Spray paint on canvas

90cm x 100cm

Your maze is inspired by a self-generated picture with a double exposure effect of a fingerprint. I created an outline of the silhouette using hot glue on a glass pane and later transferred it onto the canvas, using it as a stencil. The line and figue are inspired by the style of Egon Schiele. Your maze aims to represent a female body in an abstract way with the subtle contours making up the figure. Its purpose is to transpire desire and passion but also the ephemeral, vulnerable side of women.