This spring in Stockholm coincidentally sees three next-generation Polish panters putting their mark on exhibitions at three different galleries. Or perhaps, it’s not so coincidential at all that Aneta Kajzer, Paulina Stasik, and Julia Kowalska are all now making their presence known to the audience given how bustling Polish contemporary art has been since long, and not in the least with painting in the recent years.
Aneta Kajzer
You are currently presented in a solo show “Meet Me When the Shadows Are Longest” at Stance, the latest gallery addition to the local art scene. What were some of the considerations that went into the show?
Stance has a unique space—it’s not the typical gallery white cube. I thought paintings that play a lot with light and shadow and strong color contrasts would work well in this setting, so I kept that in mind while creating this new body of work.
Your work really needs to be seen up close. We love the balance between abstraction and figuration, the occasional cheekiness, and foremost the usage of contrasting palettes, and pastels with dark colors.
First of all, I try not to be afraid of any colors! They can be strong and bold or soft and pastel, beautiful bright blues or “ugly” muddy browns. Sometimes the color combinations are harmonious and sometimes they are disharmonious which makes the paintings more interesting to me. I always mix the colors directly on the canvas and often let them flow into each other, so I never know exactly how they will turn out. It’s a very playful and intuitive process that always brings something new to the table.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Inspiration can really come from anything. It can be a beautiful sunset, a song that I find and love, or an interesting color combination of an everyday object that I see somewhere. When I’m really low in inspiration I watch a Studio Ghibli film from my Blu-ray collection. Hayao Miyazaki’s movies are not only visually beautiful works of animation, they always give me this special feeling – somewhere between happiness and melancholy. Perhaps that is the feeling I’m searching for in my work as well.
What’s your approach to seeing shows? Do you get around to seeing much?
I get around seeing a lot but I still don’t always manage to catch every show I really want to see. There are phases where I’m deeply engaged in my studio practice and I don’t really feel like going to galleries or museums. Other times I really feel a need for input and I go and see several shows in a day. What I always love to do is to visit my artist friends in their studios and see what they are working on.
You are preparing for a new solo show at Semiose in Paris later in the year. Being represented by the gallery and having exhibited in two past shows; what are some of the ideas for the upcoming show?
Semiose is doing a series of publications called “Corpus Painting” that accompany the shows of their painters in the program and I’m happy that this time it’s my turn. It’s been a little while since my last publication so I’m very happy about this opportunity to realize my first catalog with the gallery.