Cellulitis
2009
The work is displayed as part of the permanent exhibition
Painting
Mixed media
35 × 25 × 2 cm
Presented as part of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection Gift
Aleksandra Waliszewska's (1976, Warsaw, Poland) artistic practice transcends traditional boundaries, inviting viewers into enigmatic realms that challenge the conventions of reality. Her work navigates the depths of the human psyche, forging an intricate tapestry of emotion, symbolism, and the uncanny. Waliszewska's mastery lies in her ability to weave narratives through her artwork, often imbuing her creations with a disconcerting ambiguity. Her oeuvre encompasses a wide range of mediums, including painting, drawing, and sculpture, but her unique approach to storytelling is what sets her apart. Each piece serves as a portal into a parallel dimension, an otherworldly dreamscape, or a hauntingly beautiful nightmare.
In the series presented here one can find the recurring motifs in Waliszewska's work, such as distorted and fantastical figures, and fragmented landscapes, that invite viewers to explore the shadowy recesses of existence. Her unapologetic embrace of the unconventional challenges preconceived notions of beauty and compel us to reconsider our understanding of aesthetics, and to confront our own inner fears and desires. Her meticulous attention to detail and use of subdued or intense contrasting palettes lend an eerie yet strangely inviting quality to her compositions. In a world increasingly characterised by superficiality and fleeting pleasures and images, Aleksandra Waliszewska's work stands as a testament to art’s enduring power to provoke, disturb, and inspire. Her exploration of the surreal and the grotesque serves as a mirror, reflecting the complexity of the human experience, unearthing hidden truths, and inviting us to confront the enigmatic landscapes of our own minds.
Aleksandra Waliszewska was born in Warsaw, where she lives and works. Exhibitions (selected): The Dark Arts: Aleksandra Waliszewska and Symbolism from the East and North, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw (2022), Nine Lives, Fortnight Institute, New York, (2021), Paint also known as Blood, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (2019), National Museum in Gdańsk (2019), Αbsurden, obszönen Steingötzen der Tschanvölker, Neuer Kunstverein, Vienna (2017), The Beguiling Siren is Thy Crest, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (2017), Zuzanna Ginczanka. Only happiness is real life, Museum of History of Photography, Krakow (2016), The Time Is Out of Joint, Asia Culture Centre, Gwangju (2016), La memoria finalmente. Arte in Polonia 1989-2015, Galleria Civica di Modena, Modena & Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah (2016), Two Sticks, Think Tank lab Triennale, Wrocław (2015/2016), Procedures for the Head. Polish Art Today, Dom Umenia, Kunsthalle Bratislava (2015), Lest the Two Seas Meet, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw (2015), As You Can See. Polish Art Today, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw (2014), Eat The Blue, Le 116 Centre d'art contemporain, Montreuil (2014), Focus Poland Project 3: Take 5, CCA Toruń (2013), Painters of Illustrations, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw (2013), The System of Objects, Deste Foundation, Athens (2013), Hell as Pavilion, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2013). One of her paintings decorates the cover of The Complete Lyrics 1978-2020 by Nick Cave (Penguin Books, 2021). She co-created The Capsule, a film by Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari, produced by the DESTE Foundation (premiered at documenta 13 in Kassel), and Agnieszka Smoczyńska's acclaimed film The Lure (awarded at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival).