Being more than just a presentation of paintings, the Storytelling is a profound exploration of narrative through art, a dialogue between two distinct yet complementary artistic voices. Van Rij Gallery will unveil its compelling exhibition featuring the works of two remarkable contemporary artists, Martyna Czech and Natalia Rybka, on April 25, 2025, in the historic porcelain factory in Ćmielów.
At the heart of “Storytelling” lies the power of visual expression to convey deep, personal experiences. Czech and Rybka, though differing in technique and aesthetic approach, share a fundamental commitment to exploring human existence – its pain, fragility, and resilience. Each painting serves as a fragment of a larger, universal story, inviting the viewer to engage with the raw emotions and contemplative themes woven into their works.
Martyna Czech‘s bold, gestural brushstrokes and uncompromising colour palette evoke visceral emotions, often mirroring personal and collective struggles. Through her dynamic compositions, Czech captures the turbulence of human relationships, inner conflicts, and the rawness of lived experience. Her pulsating with intensity art does not seek to comfort but to confront, to lay bare the complexities of existence with an unfiltered honesty.
Natalia Rybka‘s approach, however, is more introspective and symbol-laden. Her works are imbued with a quiet spirituality, drawing on floral motifs, delicate details, and subtle iconographic references. With a meditative quality, a sense of timeless reflection on themes of love, transience, and the metaphysical dimensions of human life, her intricate compositions encourage viewers to slow down, to immerse themselves in layers of meaning, and to find personal connections within the delicate interplay of form and symbolism.
The exhibition, curated by Katarzyna Rij, creates a space where these two artistic languages interact, both clashing and harmonising, but always resonating. Storytelling is not about a single, linear narrative but an evolving conversation, a landscape of emotions and ideas that challenge the boundaries of perception. The juxtaposition of Czech’s raw intensity with Rybka’s ethereal subtlety highlights the diverse ways in which art can serve as a vessel for personal and collective storytelling.
Storytelling is not about a single, linear narrative but an evolving conversation, a landscape of emotions and ideas that challenge the boundaries of perception.
Both artists acknowledge the shared essence beneath their differing approaches. “The more we engage in this dialogue, the more we realise we are speaking of the same fundamental truths – struggle, suffering intertwined with the yearning for freedom, about love as both pain and transformation”, Czech notes. Rybka echoes this sentiment, emphasising that their works explore the same existential themes from different vantage points, each enriching the other’s perspective.
Storytelling is, ultimately, an invitation – to look, to feel, and to reflect. It is a reminder that art is not just an aesthetic experience but a profoundly human one, capable of capturing what words often fail to express. As visitors move through the exhibition, they will find themselves immersed in a rich tapestry of emotions and meanings, each painting a doorway into the complexities of life itself. In a world where stories are told in infinite ways, Czech and Rybka offer theirs through colour, texture, and form – a language transcending time, culture, and individual experience.
Storytelling
Private viewing: April 25, 2025, 6 pm CET
The exhibition will be on view till June 14, 2025
Van Rij Gallery, Ćmielów
