NADA Miami 2020

“Gemstone filings” (2019 – 2020)

Created gradually from leftovers, bits of paper that remained from other works in the “Gemstone treatments” cycle. Built slowly and requiring time to take shape. A witness of everyday struggles, motherhood, the striving for moments of undisturbed work. Made during a pandemic, amid relocation and tumultuous political events in Poland. A lasting, quiet participant of daily life, an observer of the passage of time itself.

Formed just like a crystal—leisurely and dependently, unsure of what final form it would take. A cluster of specks brought together at last, cut and polished, ordered and kept in check on the basis of a personal color wheel. The triptych stretches from greyness to greyness, from darkness to darkness. It awakens, ignites and fades, coming full circle. Although it is multicolored, none of its sections are monochromatic. The fluid transition between colors only comes about in the viewing process. The gaze wanders among the colored specks, roaming from spot to spot before merging the fragments into a flickering whole.

The works share a strong interest in color—the perception forming in conjunction with the rays of light falling on the observed surface, which is subject to constant transformation. Its nature is volatile, subordinate to the influence of its surroundings and the viewer’s singular impressions. The perception of a particular color always yields myriad components. The transparency of the crystals, allowing the light to be transmitted through the subsequent layers, creates inimitable optical effects. Color is one of the identifying features of precious stones and their chromatic properties are used in the production of pigments. A unique relationship is forged between painting and crystal as a source of color—paints were made from the stains drawn from minerals. This dependency highlights the notion that each and every manmade form has its source and counterpart in nature.