Beata Rojek – The story behind the woods

Curator: Petra Housková
Final presentation: 14. 12. 2023 / 6 p.m.

A series of drawings and oil paintings by the Polish visual artist Beata Rojek presents a story in progress whose formal and symbolic starting point comes from the woods. The artist’s frequent presence in the surrounding forests of Košice becomes a tangible, present space, a source of events, and a network of emotional experiences. Rojek visually records her conscious wanderings and, as a result, creates a beastarium, a set of illustrations of various kinds of animals and creatures in situations based on lived moments from a given place at a specific time.
The interrelationship of the natural environment and emotions creates connections and feelings of dependence. The author’s story unmasks various aspects of living, including fear, responsibility, relationships, parenting, fertility, and life itself. These themes seem to come not only from the author’s individual experience but also from our collective consciousness.

Beata Rojek, born in 1985 is a visual artist who graduated from the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts. She specializes in painting, drawing, comics and other forms of transferring thoughts into images. She has a recognizable, vivid style, ranging from nostalgic abstraction to blunt street art patterns. She was nominated twice for the Wrocław Gazeta Wyborcza WARTO award and received a scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2012.
Over the years of creative work, the artist has developed the ability to simultaneously operate on various registers of consciousness – intellectual, sensual and emotional. Her works catch the eye with their ludic bluntness, although they are not meant for quick consumption. Rojek likes to tell stories, therefore her works are full of narratives, inspired by European literature, fairy tales, ancient legends, theological writings, pagan beliefs, but they interlace with personal stories coming from the sensitive artist.

The residency program is supported using public funding by the Slovak Arts Council. Slovak Arts Council is the main partner of this project.
The project is also supported by City Košice.