Sicilian Mirrored Ballroom Painting

Hanna Ruminski was born in Poland and since 1981 has resided in Canada. Ruminski holds a Master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1975-1980). Along with being a participant in many exhibitions, her artwork is also found in numerous corporate and private collections in Canada, USA, South Korea and throughout Europe. Ruminski’s art was represented at the Toronto International Art Fair since 2003-2014. She is also one of the artists represented by AGO Rental+Sales Gallery. Ruminski was given the Award of Merit in 2009 from Ontario Society of Artists. As an artist, Ruminski expresses herself in two different subject matters: One is expressionist images balancing between abstraction and figuration, and two, realistic old world interiors with details and architectural elements. Ruminski's Polish origin-rich in culture, history and tradition-is recognizable in her interest in European antiques, interiors and architecture. Her representational paintings are combination of the fascination for the richness and glory of the ancestral interiors and fading opulence of the material world. Images collected over time in Ruminski’s “memory pockets," as well as found photographs inspired her subject matters. Like an old wall covered in layers of paint, posters, graffiti etc., her contemporary work aims to recreate these urban textures on canvas. The overlapping of letters represents dialogue; expression through communication within society, both personal and public. By repeating a process of building and scraping off layers, what is revealed underneath is always a surprise. Just like with our emotions and memories, this uncovering creates a sense of vulnerability and exposure. For Ruminski, as an artist, it’s a continuous journey to identify her own unique self expression through markings and gestures. Immersing herself in the act of painting, she is defining her visual language in a manifestation of purity and intuition found in the simplicity of her children’s drawings from the past. Ruminski lives and works in Toronto.