Karolina Zgłobicka

Karolina Zglobicka (b.1988)
Moving from Poland to England and then to Spain, inspired her to explore the theme of relocation, changes that confront the familiarity of the space we live in, things left behind and those that adapt to travel with us continuously.

In her recent paintings, Zglobicka examines the physicality and meaning of objects around us, placing them in a reminiscent set up, isolated and removed from natural surroundings just to glorify their influence on memories. She focuses on things we lose, misplace, get rid of, or treasure as souvenirs. Compositions presented on her paintings seem staged for performance, showcasing past events, everyday situations we witnessed, or those alternative ones that could have been, but never happened.

Viewers of her work are invited to take part in an interplay between chosen objects, to feel the tension between selective memory and ubiquitous symbolism hidden behind figurative representation. Context of selected subject matter challenges the borders of familiarity and imagination we project onto what we see.

Main inspiration comes from family photos, objects found on the streets of Valencia with their history to be rewritten by the artist, objects often utterly insignificant, collected pieces of everything that may create an allusive link between composition and essential nature of the memory they respond to.

The way paint is applied on canvas lures the viewer into thinking about time. In attempts of both capturing its liquidity as well as revealing the consequences of allowing
to run freely.

Repetition of layers and motifs, correlation of presented figures, disappearance of definite shapes and meanings, gives an artist a chance to experiment within the history of figurative painting and question boundaries of theoretical descriptions of practice.

Could you tell us more about your background and how you began creating art?

I grew up in Poland and even though art has always been present in my life, through music school and theater group, due to the economical situation of my country, I have never been encouraged to see art as my future career. After choosing University of Economics I have become feeling misplaced and disconnected. It took me a while to find out what that missing part of my life is, something that makes me feel like myself, like I belong somewhere and I found it in painting and drawing. My own loneliness, disagreement with the environment  I was part of, led me to dropping out of business school and moving to Manchester. There, finally,I felt the freedom to follow my dreams and enrolled in a Fine Art course in Manchester School of Art. Long story short - I have been painting ever since.

What does your art aim to say to its viewers? 

I hope my art confronts viewers with their own memories about objects I present in my paintings. Makes them think about the souvenirs they have been treasuring for years or perhaps lost a long time ago. I’m interested in examining boundaries of familiarity, symbolism and imaginations that looking at certain objects brings to light. 

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?

I have a studio in the basement of my home, so I try to paint as often and as much as I can. Most of my ideas come from gathered objects, found on my daily walks, books and old family photos that surround me in my studio. I use oils and sprays, usually working on a few paintings at the same time. While working I listen to audiobooks, I’m in general obsessed about reading and books, so luckily, I can join both of my passions while in the studio. 

What is the essential element in your art?

The most essential element of my art is an object - a single memory trigger. The initial starting point of every single one of my paintings. Then the whole narrative is built around it.

In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society? 

I think that social media gave us all, way too many roles as influencers and voices of the society. Personally I see the importance in speaking about sensitivity, vulnerability, so often associated with being an artist, empathy, colossal importance of taking care of our mental struggles, raising awareness about mental health and the role of therapy in general. Also personally I think artists should be responsible for recommending good books and sharing their reading lists. We all should read more !