Joanna Mrozowska
Gallery
Biography
1976 – Born in Warsaw, Poland
Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
In 2004, she earned a diploma in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under the guidance of Professor Marian Czapla. She also studied mural painting in the studio of Professor Edward Tarkowski, specializing in mosaic techniques.
Thanks to her pursuit of new forms of artistic expression, initiated by Professor Szajna and the "Studio" Gallery, she received an award sponsored by the Governor of Masovia. Joanna Mrozowska is the Chair of the Painting Section at the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Artists. She is the curator of numerous exhibitions, recognized for her innovative artistic expression, and has presented her works in Germany and Qatar, including in exhibitions of modern Polish art. Her work explores the depiction of human existence in a form-conscious yet emotionally charged urban environment.
She paints her view of the city from various perspectives. Her works, characterized by compact forms, combine color, texture, and space into expressive compositions. Her paintings convey not only the limited environment of life in an urban, industrialized setting but also communicate a clear political and pacifist message.
Joanna Mrozowska is the founder of STUDIO 23 in Warsaw’s Praga district and collaborates with the artist collective "Flogiston."
Laudatio
A completely different approach to painting than any previously discussed is found in Joanna Mrozowska’s work. Her paintings are strikingly provocative. They appear like enlarged miniatures, an effect intensified by her particular approach: she simplifies and abstracts our visible world. The always square, by no means small formats show no sense of depth. The depicted reality seems reduced to a single aspect, much like a pictogram. From a simple visual symbol, information is conveyed to the viewer. We are accustomed to pictograms providing internationally understandable information about our modern world. However, the invention of pictograms goes back to the earliest visual representations. Even cave people recorded their experiences on stone walls in highly simplified forms. Since the invention of the PC with its graphical user interface, pictograms—called icons in this context—have become ubiquitous.
How does this relate to Joanna Mrozowska’s paintings? Are they also easy to decode, readable? Most likely not. Formally, the symbol-like depictions of houses are quite varied in their appearance. This brings to mind the difference between language and image. When the word HOUSE is mentioned, each listener imagines their own individual house. But when, as in this case, an image of HOUSES is presented, all viewers see the same houses and engage with their own thoughts about them.
Joanna Mrozowska thus presents houses, and we develop our own interpretations. It is notable that her depictions are often bounded by large areas of solid or striped color fields. Some resemble a view from a miniature perspective. Moreover, the artist works with a highly reduced color palette, reminiscent of murals or non-painterly techniques such as mosaics.
These are not sentimental paintings meant to be viewed gently; rather, they are works that challenge the mind. They aim at imaginative and aesthetic perception. The artist understands her works as performances whose particular viewpoint is meant to generate meaning. These paintings, for example, represent the limitations of living space and call for transcending these limits in order to be mobile, as the exhibition title suggests.
Laudation by Reinhard Fritz, 1995–2011 President and Board Member of the Neue Gruppe, BBK, and Jury Member, Engagement & Exhibition Curation of the Große Kunstausstellung at the Haus der Kunst, Munich.
Awards / Honors
2004
2007
“DIPLOMA Award” for her “Search for New Forms of Artistic Expression.”
“Picture of the Season and Sculpture of the Season”, Award.
Exhibitions
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Painting – Solo Exhibition, Eufemia Club, Warsaw, PL
Diplomas – Atelier Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Promotions 2004 – 15th National Review of Youth Painting, Gallery, Legnica, PL
Winner of the Diploma Award 2004 – Painting, Masovia Voivodeship, Warsaw, PLWarsaw Festival of Fine Arts – Post-Competition Exhibition, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Communication, Identification, Access – Warsaw Festival of Fine Arts, Kunstverein Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Youth in the Warsaw District ZPAP – Painting, Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
FLOGISTON Artistic Group – Gallery 022, Warsaw, PL
FLOGISTON – Installation, Night of Museums, Warsaw, PL
Artists for Artists – DAP ZPAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Los Colores – Paintings, Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Small Art Fair – Painting, DAP ZPAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Picture of the Season and Sculpture of the Season – DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
II Auction of Artworks – Paintings, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Light and Color – DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Stay With Us – Tribute to John Paul II, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
No Sugar – Paintings, FLOGISTON Group, Gallery 022, Warsaw, PL
Installation – FLOGISTON Group, Museum Night, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Conversations at the Top – Installation from the series Talking Heads I, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Chopin’s Land – Round Trip – Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Masovian Village 2008 – Outdoor Exhibition, Granary Gallery, Miszewo Murowane, PL
Chopin’s Land – Round Trip – Paintings, High Voltage Gallery, Stare Babice, PL
Landscape 2008 – Outdoor Exhibition, Skansen Gallery, Kuligów, PL
Contemporary Painting – Outdoor Exhibition, University of the Third Age, Ełk, PLPainting from the Studio – Cultural Meeting in Praga, Conference Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Exhibition – Artists of OW ZPAP, Hoover Square, Warsaw, PL
Bug River Heritage – Landscape 2008 – Korozja i Kolor Gallery, Wołomin, PL
Plurimos Annos – Exhibition in memory of John Paul II, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Warsaw Studios – Paintings by Hoover Group, InfoKultura, Warsaw, PL
We Are – Flogiston Group Exhibition, Small Forms Gallery, Warsaw, PL
No Change – Painting – Exhibition, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Hoover Group Painting – Center for Cultural Promotion, Warsaw, PL
Museum Night 2009, Warsaw, PL
Nude and Drawing – Drawing Exhibition, Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Self-Portrait Exhibition – DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Painting – Hoover Group Exhibition, Simple Market, Warsaw, PL
Spring Breeze – Flogiston Artists Group Exhibition, Droga Życie Foundation, Warsaw, PL
Polish Art Salon – Exhibition of artists from Warsaw District ZPAP, Art Salon, Warsaw, PL
Painting – Hoover Group Exhibition, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Moniuszko, Szymanowski, Chopin… – Painting Exhibition, Kudowa Zdrój, PL
Hoover Group – Painting – DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Pre-election – PERSÖNLICHE Group, Museum Night, Gallery 022, Warsaw, PL
Stimulator – OSOBNO Group, Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Abstraction in Painting – Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Jazz Synthesis of Pieces – Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
News – Exhibition, DAP Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Hoover Group – Painting – Van Golik Gallery, Warsaw, PL
Let’s Get to Know Each Other – Ground Art Warsaw Festival, Lufcik Gallery, Warsaw, PL