Conversation Print

Milena is a Polish painter and a concept artist. Received BA in Fine Art from University of Leeds and MA in Drawing from Norwich University College of Art. During her studies her art was mostly influenced with the ideas of feminism, femininity and gaming which has always been a passion of Milena's. After graduating she mostly focused on concept art for gaming industry however painting was always present in her life helping her through good and bad times.. Recently she decided to return to painting full time and focuses on creating the work in a semi-realistic, surreal manner. Few words about my practice: Once upon a time, when I was but a little weird kid in the primary school I drew a picture of a face. half of it was normal and half of it had a skull and muscle exposed. A friend looked at it for a long while and said to me 'well that's amazing, to think that we all look like this underneath'. In that moment I realized the power of inspiration art commands. I love this and hate this about art - it can take you anywhere and nowhere. A picture will remind you of your fondest memories on a good day but will just judge you disaprovingly on a bad one. This is why I try to refrain from telling people what my paintings are supposed to represent. I am a fairly introverted person - by showing you my painting I tell you I have a secret but I don't necessairly want to say what it is. Perhaps I am scared or ashamed - perhaps you will be able to guess it anyway. Perhaps you will know better than I do what ails me. I have always been drawn to painting and drawing. I am at the point where I can say that my painting is an expression of my emotions and ideas intertwining in my mind- usually the ones I am not consciously aware of. At the same time I find it crucial to tell a story in my painting, even if the viewer's interpretation is wildly different to mine. I want my artworks to be aesthetically pleasing but uncanny. Surprising but uneasy. My work has been strongly informed by a few areas of interest: femininity and its presence in the gaming industry and recently - psyche and the subconscious. Oil and acrylic painting helps me explore these ideas in relation to my personal experiences and emotions.