THE HEAT IS COMING

Artist: Iwona Kobryń

Place: Galeria 101 Projekt

Date: 15 - 29.07.2021

Curator: Paulina Świerczyńska-Brzezińska

CATALOGUE

The interwar period was a time of special interest in seaside destinations, which became again available to holidaymakers. Some moral revolutions has happened. Active tourism has become popular, and sport has become popular. Due to the growing popularity of photography, almost every element of lifestyle was documented. The database of archival photos from beaches, swimming pools and resorts is an inspiration for the painting series "The Last Day of Summer", which Iwona Kobryń has been creating since 2020. The leitmotif of these images are real situations recorded by the camera lens, used by the Artist, who is not afraid to reach for non-obvious solutions, such as an unusual open composition, often cutting off the characters in a surprising way, or color combinations based on strong contrasts. "The Last Day of Summer" is an extremely meaningful title, taking into account the context of the photographs that inspired the Artist. These are pictures of an idyllic, carefree world, but a world that will be annihilated by the events to come. The time perspective is essential for the proper interpretation of the entire cycle. Contemporary consciousness makes us look at the archival records of the past in a different way. The vision of the end of a certain epoque and what follows, makes the carefree scenes of summer rest look a bit different. On the one hand, this awareness allows the viewer to identify the images presented, on the other hand, the choice of means of the painting's expression reinterprets them, striving for generalization. From the formal point of view, the protagonists of the presented paintings are not denominated by anything - neither time nor space. A flat spot, a simplified shape, a clean form - these are the elements thanks to which the Artist manages to tell the universal story of an individual suspended in time, unaware of what is coming. This forces the viewer looking at the paintings to reflect on "here" and "now".

Paulina Świerczyńska-Brzezińska