Of Lust And Transformation

The exhibition ‘Of Lust And Transformation’ explores the connection of nature to feminine energy and the  alchemical process behind the creation of artworks. The artists Edyta Hul and Ewelina Skowronska have worked based on an inner need to express their strong connection to the forces of nature and a shared interest in the mystique of the creative process. In their own ways, they work with the material as a  partner and co-creator, collaborating closely with themselves to define the final expression of the artwork. 

Ewelina Skowrońska is a Polish visual artist with a master’s degree in political science. In 2015, she retrained and specialised in fine arts at the University of The Arts London, where she graduated with distinction. Skowrońska’s works have been exhibited in London, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Poland, and Japan. In 2017, she was awarded the Print Prize by the ST Bridge Foundation, and in 2018, she was shortlisted for the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2018. Her graphic works are found in the collections of the VA Museum London, Spiral Wacoal Art Foundation, Tokyo, Japan, and Guanlan Printmaking Museum,  China. Skowrońska is currently based in Japan, where she actively participates in Tokyo’s art scene.   

Skowronska works with various media and is constantly curious about new working methods and  materials. Her practice includes ceramics, printmaking, painting, and, most recently, natural plant dyes and  silk. Working with natural dyes is a new approach that Skowronska has been exploring since the beginning of  2023, and will show the result of it for the first time in the gallery. The new works stem from her inquiries into how we can re-establish a connection to the intangible and invisible aspects of our surroundings, thereby  acknowledging our dependence on nature and shedding the anthropocentric perspective. Through her artistic process of working with plants and fabrics she found herself in an almost transformative connection  between herself, the artwork, and nature. She describes working with plants as magical, as if stepping into uncharted territory filled with new beings possessing unexpected powers. 

“I employ spells and prayers, attempting to adhere to prescribed formulas, but it’s not my rationality that  guides me – it’s my sensibility that springs to life, following the lead of these plants. ” – E. S.  

Edyta Hul is a visual artist based in Warsaw. In 2012, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in  Gdańsk, and currently, she is a Ph.D. student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Poland. Edyta has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Poland as well as in Italy, Germany, Hungary, and Denmark. Her work has been featured in art competitions and biennials like the Biennial Bielska Jesień in  Poland (2023). She has been a resident artist at the Artist in Residence program Q21 at MuseumsQuartier in  Vienna (2019) and the Pieńków Artist Residency (2018). Edyta has received scholarships from Poland’s  Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2020). Most recently, she presented a solo exhibition at the  National Gallery’s Zachęta Project Room in Warsaw. Edyta currently resides and works in Warsaw, Poland. 

Hul primarily works with oil and enamel on canvas. Her multi-layered paintings are often personal and intimate records of her life. Hul is driven by a desire for technical exploration and is constantly seeking new opportunities through various painting techniques. For this exhibition, Hul has focused on a woman’s  profound need to reconnect with Mother Earth. Through her works, Hul visualizes a woman’s quest for a  connection to her roots. Hul is captivated by a woman’s intense journey into nature, where she surrenders  to its untapped powers, thereby rediscovering her sensitivity, her connection to the natural world, and her  true essence. 

“For me, nature takes on the character of a deity, which I worship from a feminist perspective, where the  creative power is primal, incomprehensible, and lies beyond civilization.” – E. H”

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