Katarzyna Kopanska

Krakow, Poland

About Katarzyna Kopanska

The academic studies gave me the artistic education and thorough training. One summer holiday I took part in an Orthodox icon painting/writing workshop that significantly influenced my painting. Sacrum, strict canonic rules, theatrical order, grinding paints with precious pigments will be with me forever. In my paintings I try to combine the sphere of physis, sensual pleasure, biology, and colors with symbolic elements evoking ontological and metaphysical meanings. My canvas constitute a mixture of textual and flat painting; I use glazes, scratch contours and shapes. Working on paper, I apply various techniques; I also press some parts of my linocuts. I am fond of order, symmetry and classic skills. At the same time, in painting and drawing I use techniques that allow chance decalcomania, grattage, dropping. At the first stage of my creative work I am quick and spontaneous. Then, at the next stages, I tame chaos and introduce order. As a result, my paintings form multilayer phenomenon. The layer of colors, regions of colors interactions constitute the foundation of my paintings. The material layer consists of the specific techniques I applied, textures, and deposits of paints. The layer of represented objects includes figures like woman, boy, tree, rhino. The layer of meanings consists of a story that usually finds no final on the picture.

Education:

The Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland.

Exhibitions:

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2011 – "Sensuellabilder", works on paper, Abbekas Gallery, Abbekas, Sweden.
2009 - "Young girls in Flower", works on paper, Abbekas Gallery, Abbekas, Sweden.
2008 - "Bright Pastures", painting, Raven Gallery, Krakow, Poland.
2005 - "According to Johannes Angelus", works on paper, Abbekas Gallery, Abbekas, Sweden.
2001 – "Cat Drovers", painting, Polska Institutet Stockholm.
1999 – "L'Art et les Animaux" Bajek, Kopańska, Martini, Couleurs en Val Mosan, Huy, Pailhe, Belgium.
1999 – "Yellow River", paintings and works on paper, Warsaw Financial Center, Warsaw, Poland, exhibition organized by the Polish Artists Union.
1997 - Paintings and works on paper, Marian Gologórski Author's Gallery, House of Polonia, Krakow, Poland.
1994 – “Colour is my hero”, paintings and works on paper, Bernauer 111, Berlin.