Zofia Pałucha

ZP--Teardrop--2019-olej-na-płótnie-120x100

Zofia Pałucha’s painting is deliberately multistylistic. In her work, she employs realism, hyperrealism, illusion, deformation, surrealism and abstraction. She draws on the iconography of popular culture: Nicole Kidman, Batman, Apollo 11, Picasso, sumo wrestlers, logos. She quotes, recycles and combines images. She is precise and descriptive in her visions. The artist draws very well and her painting is based on a solid, obedient concept of drawing. During her studies at Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts, Zofia won drawing contests in Asia. The journeys to Taiwan and contact with Chinese culture influenced her perception of the world. Her painting reflects the sensitivity of the 1990s generation, it is more embedded in the painting codes migrating in a flash on Instagram and Facebook than in local contexts. Zofia Pałucha gives English titles to her works, they are quotes from song lyrics, books, newspaper articles and websites. Zofia’s diploma work, supervised by Stanisław Baj, was devoted to Slavic deities. Back then, in a loose reference to Zofia Stryjeńska, Pałucha created her own representations of e.g. Peron, the goddess Mokosh and god Veles. However, on leaving the Academy, she quickly did a U-turn. It was since then, i.e. the year 2001, that in my view the artist has been creating more convincing and individual art. The technique of her work has also improved. She paints in acrylic and oil, as well as draws perfectly in colour. Just as in the case of Sławek Elsner, her drawings may be compared to her paintings. Her images are eye-catching. They have a spectacular quality, so characteristic of the artists of our times. You can feel they fight for the viewer’s attention, aware of the fact that nowadays a picture must have some appealing catch to retain attention in the deluge of visual information. Zofia Pałucha says that in her work she uses the method of visual stream of consciousness. It is the consciousness of an internet surfer, a cinema goer and, as I suspect, a compulsive art buff. It is a convincing combination. There is something light to it, alluring and sensual, including ars erotica and thriller elements.

Jan Mioduszewski

www.zofiapalucha.com

Education

• 2012-2017 Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie, Wydział Malarstwa
• 2016 Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Pradze, Ateliér Martin Mainer

Individual Exhibitions

• 2020 Delikatna Penetracja, Piktogram, Warszawa
• 2019 Apocalips (z Krystianem Truth Czaplickim), Galeria Śmierć Człowieka, Warszawa
• 2018 Wino może mieć zwierzęcy posmak, Kasprzaka 9, Warszawa
• 2017 Bez tytułu, Konduktorownia, Częstochowa

Collective Exhibitions

• 2020 A Quest for Lasting Values, Tobias Naehring Galerie, Leipzig
• 2020 Beautiful Losers, Jak zapomnieć, Kraków
• 2019 44. Biennale Malarstwa Bielska Jesień, Galeria Bielska BWA, Bielsko-Biała
• 2019 Pierścień i róża, Polana Institute, Petrykozy
• 2019 Utajone, Survival XVII, Wrocław
• 2019 Zapraszam na wernisaż #4, Galeria Śmierć Frajerom, Warszawa
• 2018 Apetyt, al. Ujazdowskie 8, Warszawa
• 2018 III Ogólnpolski Konkurs Malarski im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego, BWA Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz
• 2017 New Classical Air, X-power Gallery, Tajpej, Tajwan
• 2016 4 Pokoje, Hybernska 4, Praga, Czechy