Joanna

Sokolowska

Joanna Sokolowska, born in 1984, is an artist - painter and sculptor from Poland, currently living and creating in Raleigh, USA. Her rich education is both artistic and linguistic, both in Poland and abroad. Recipient of Fulbright Scholarship in 2013, she studied at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, USA, where she received her MFA degree in May 2015. Earlier she received Master of Fine Arts degree at the Department of Sculpture - Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (2012), Erasmus scholarship at the Department of Sculpture - Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Italy (2009/2010); MA degree in English Philology at the Institute of Applied Linguistics - Warsaw University (2009); BA degree at the College of English Language Teacher Education- Warsaw University (2006). International context is very important in her creative path. As a Fulbright Alumni, she travels and creates worldwide spreading the belief in the uniting power of Art, crossing barriers between cultures and divisions. She promotes Art as universal language wherever she goes. Once in Poland, she has been Sculpture and Painting Instructor at Warsaw Arts Academy and Officyna Art and Design Gallery. Her works are being sold in a few galleries in Warsaw (Napiorkowska Gallery, Officyna Gallery, Stalowa Gallery). She exhibited her works in Poland, Italy, France, USA and Thailand. She attended international residencies and seminars in USA (Vermont), France (St Nicolas du Pelem) and Thailand (Krabi, Bangkok).

My paintings and sculptures revolve around the theme of human being, his interior emotions, life, psyche. The human being, with his dual nature - sensual and spiritual, is my biggest inspiration and focus. Through figurative art I transfer elemental content of human existence that people, in a natural way, may come to read, without knowing the code and cultural context. I combine elements of realism with expressive, emotional quest for power of expression. For me, the human form is like a temple; a sphere of sacrum, which encompassed the richness of emotions and experiences. These states of mind are sources of exploration for me to seek those binding qualities that make us human. Sculpture and Painting is a way for me to convert intangible feelings into three-and two-dimensional forms. My main intention is to move, to touch, to invite the viewer to reflect and explore the beauty of own being. My works are evidence of a search for the means of expression that split the self into a dilemma of human experience. Face expressions, gestures, serve as references for form. My works become ‘a meeting place’ – a meeting with the inner and exterior selves, while at the same time opening up a meeting space with another’s essence.

Acrylic, Oil / Alkyd, Sculpture

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