Magdalena Nowatkowska
born in 1982, is a graduate of the Institute of Design in Koszalin, Master of Arts,
a longtime illustrator, graphic designer, interior, fashion, and home accessories designer, and a painter.
After years of experimentation
and observing the world, she simplifies what is complicated in her painting.
She works on several series simultaneously. She addresses difficult, existential themes, presenting
them in a minimized, refined, original, simple painting form.
About work
The series that began at the start
of the pandemic is titled “Distance“.
It is a series of paintings about emotions, interpersonal relationships, energy, fear, and reactions to incomprehensible, foreign, contradictory messages.
About their impact on human behavior.
It is a series about people. Graphically simplified, geometric forms
seem to interact with each other.
To isolate, levitate, colonize in small
or larger groups.
It is an analysis of interpersonal vibrations, in different contexts, spaces, and circumstances.
In the “Limits“ series, I explore the sense and nonsense of their existence.
It is a response to unpredictable phenomena.
It was initiated at the time of alarming reports about the war.
It is a story about what the artist sees, feels, and observes. A study
of the relationships between people.
About what evokes a time of fear, uncertainty. About how much one can…
It is a record of interactions between them, of what lies somewhere between the world of peace and the world of total chaos.
It is a series about emotions.
About overcoming obstacles.
About possibilities and their absence. About strength and powerlessness.
About power. About closeness.
About relationships. Longing.
About boundaries.
About the sense and nonsense of their existence. About people, in short…
The human figure has been reduced
to a minimum, to simple figurative forms. To maximally simplified signs,
with the eye as a dominantly, visibly exaggerated element. Figurative blocks seem
to interact with each other, in various configurations. Over time, the line begins to dominate, still outlining bodies,
but as if it begins to live anew. It divides, connects, constructs, ambiguous records, rhythm? It builds landscapes, defines directions, horizons. Everything indicates that it begins to live independently…
The series is an attempt to delve into fundamental questions about existence, meaning, and complexity of human experience, human resilience, and ability to overcome obstacles. What defines
us as individuals and as a society.
The third series is “Dimensionless – Geometric Compositions“. It is a smooth transition from the “Limits” series to even greater simplifications. Reducing simple, yet still figurative forms from the previous series to completely abstract, geometric arrangements. The series is a study
on the potential of minimalism. An artistic comment on what has already been.
The “Horizons“ series is a collection
of works inspired by simple frames
from life, in public spaces, architecture, urban planning. The works in this series
are characterized by simplicity of form. Here, experimentation with the horizon line, which symbolizes the boundary between earth and sky, between spaces, objects. It is a metaphor for the boundary between the past and the future.
The use of clean minimalist forms,
the correlation between individual planes, encourages reflection on color, shape, composition, and time.
The latest painting series, “Borrowed Images“, is a series of minimalist abstractions. It captures existing images in space, as spotted by the artist.
A record of snippets of our surroundings. Narrow frames of wide life perspectives. A diary of interesting circumstances,
a record of the magic of fleeting moments.
These images are a nod to chance, inspiration, and unexpected beauty found in the least expected places, moments, and circumstances. Available to everyone, within reach, in the nearest public space, perhaps just around
the corner.
It is an attempt to appreciate the small things, the uniqueness of everyday life, which often escapes our notice. And yet, all it takes is a moment to stop and look, to almost certainly notice something…
“Borrowed Miniatures“ – miniatures from the series “Borrowed Paintings“
The artist has set herself the goal of building a large installation. It will consist of 1000 miniatures. Made up of many tiny tiles, mini paintings, remembered, borrowed, framed from everyday life.
A multitude of tiny objects will build a larger story. A story about what Magdalena sees and remembers. It's a mosaic in which each tile is a different story, yet somehow they all connect.
Magdalena Nowatkowska's latest series of paintings – “In-Between“, is a deep meditation on the subtlety and transience of what lies in the spaces in between. With precision and sensitivity, the artist explores the breaks and gaps that connect and divide objects, spaces, people, and items, as well as those stretching between the past, present, and future. Each painting in the “In-Between” series attempts to capture what is usually elusive and unnoticed.
Magdalena Nowatkowska encourages the viewer to reflect on the meaning and beauty of breaks, which, though often overlooked, are crucial for our perception of the world.
Events
03.2024: Artshow Events, Warszawa
02.2024: Art Fair (Targowisko Sztuki), Warszawa
12.2023: Artshow Events, Warszawa
10.2023: Focus Art Fairs, Londyn, Saachi Gallery
06.2023: Artshow Events, Warszawa