Artwork Description:
A part of a triptych from the ”Self-Portraits” series, which presents a kind of psychoanalysis of both myself and the people I encounter on my life’s journey. In this cycle, the body is merely a starting point, intended to personify human emotional states. Linear structures in my paintings serve as a visual record of emotions. The act of sgraffito serves also as a personal mantra. Each line is a rhythmic motion that allows me to process overwhelming emotions and translate them into a visual order. It is a meditative ritual of revealing what lies beneath the surface – both on the panel and within the psyche.
Biography:
Helena Rajska (b. 1990) is a Polish artist and architectural conservator based in Oslo. She earned her degree in Architectural Engineering, specializing in the conservation of monuments, which profoundly influences her technical approach to painting. Since 2003, she has been developing a unique visual language, showcased in numerous exhibitions across Poland and Norway.
Artist Statement:
On behalf of the ”I”—the highly sensitive entity—I manifest.
I manifest through painted stories about the human condition; about a nature shrouded in fear and difficult experiences, yet remaining strong and relentless. I fight for emotions. I fight against taboos and for the freedom to speak the truth about oneself. I stand against the hiding of fears and for the courage to return from nothingness. I identify that which is overwhelming. Life is an experience from which I do not flee. I evolve. I create.
Selected Exhibitions:
2025 – Uten tilsatt sukker (No Added Sugar), solo exhibition, Sentralen, Oslo, Norway
2024 – The Feminine Side of Art, group exhibition, Defabryka, Warsaw, Poland
2024 – Experiencing, solo exhibition, Ludwikowice Gallery, Poland
2023 – The Feminine Side of Art, group exhibition, Defabryka, Warsaw, Poland
2023 – I am alive, restlessly alive, terrifyingly alive, group exhibition, Elektra Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
2022 – The Feminine Side of Art, group exhibition, Defabryka, Warsaw, Poland
2022 – Deeply Hidden, solo exhibition, Galeria w Przyziemiu, Krakow, Poland
2022 – Skins, solo exhibition, MCK, Czarnków, Poland
2022 – Group Exhibition, Mościce Art Center, RED GALLERY, Tarnów, Poland