Artist’s Statement:

I decided to become an artist when I was a child, but after my art studies I had to give up because of the many personal challenges I faced. I was working for years as a graphic and web designer, and when I finally made the decision to return to art, I already had three children and was almost 38 years old. Now painting is something that interests me the most of all. I have had several solo exhibitions in Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Sopot, Boleslawiec), a solo exhibition in Geneva, and I have taken part in many contests and group exhibitions in Poland. I find it extremely difficult for a woman to be an artist, so I am proud to be able to make a living with art.
Faces and figures are the main subject of my paintings. I never do portraits from life models – this situation is far too direct. What I am looking for in someone’s face is a story, some feelings, some tension, perhaps my own identity? My favorite moment in painting is when I have a new idea, I prepare sketches, the composition, begin to do it on canvas, and very quickly I realize, I can see, that’s it! The drawing is the most important part of my painting. I do quick sketches of my composition with a large brush, my decisions are fast, and my gestures are full of expression. I use oil colors because of their oily texture, brilliance, and smell. What I like the best about my work is that it really involves my whole personality. The second moment that makes me happy is when I see people becoming interested in my work and that they find their own emotions in my paintings.
I am now becoming less direct in my representations: what interests me now is a kind of narration that goes across the screen, a story I take from a film, a text or a picture to tell another story on my canvas. The faces I am painting are no longer those of concrete people, but they have become actors or masks. This procedure enables the expression of many meanings and engenders interaction with the viewer which lets her/him project her/his own fantasmatic story on the screen. The important thing is to leave a gap in the representation, to keep a place for desire. When working, I keep in mind the notion of displacement. I like to see the sensuality, the fear, the mystery, and the sense of humor in a picture. I think it is important for an image to gaze, to be the active part of the pair: the image and the viewer. Experiences from my life as well as the global world situation have a strong impact on my work. What I am doing is very sincere, and I would like to find my place in the public discourse. … Read More

Katarzyna Swinarska graduated the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, painting diploma supervised by prof. Kiejstut Bereźnicki. Since October 2011 she's studing visual arts at PhD level at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Painting work supervised by prof. Henryk Cześnik. … Read More