Title: Słońce patrzy na mnie (The Sun is Looking at Me)

Date: 2024

Description: The painting is a portrait of Hanna Orzechowska. She is one of the heroines of my Ph.D. thesis, where I reconstruct my feminine lineage. It depicts the artist’s face shown in profile against the background of a sun-eye. The portrait emphasizes the hair. Its red colour is associated with the energy of the setting sun. The artist’s face is permeated by its light. It looks as if the sun is penetrating her skin and facial bones. The idea of the looking sun refers to the assumption that it is more than just a source of light and heat. It is also an ancient witness to the history of the world, a kind of archive. According to my intuition, information flows from it constantly, and it can be received and decoded by us. I imagine that Hanna Orzechowska had a deep connection with everything that exists, and in particular with the sun and other celestial bodies. The portrait shows this symbiosis and the energetic reciprocity of their existence.

Technique, dimension: oil on canvas, 66 × 78 cm

First showing: 2024, Zachęta Project Room

Ownership: Monika Waraxa