All These Waves

Renata Fabbri is pleased to announce, All These Waves, the first solo exhibition in Italy by Dominika Kowynia (1978, Sosnowiec, Poland). The exhibition brings together a collection of recent paintings that the artist has conceived, drawing inspiration from issues close to her, such as feminism, physical and emotional emancipation, as well as history, identity and personal boundaries.

Interweaving literature and current events with fragments from her own personal history, Kowynia’s work provides a critical reading of the present time. Specifically, her artistic research is driven by issues related to the contemporary Polish context: feminist struggles, migration issues, social inequities as well as the climate and environmental crisis. Transitioning from an intimate sphere to a global perspective, the artist juxtaposes autobiographical events with collective concerns, portraying not only her own history and that of her homeland, but also that of a world in which personal events contribute to forming universal experience.

On the occasion of the gallery exhibition, Kowynia presents a selection of previously unseen works that explore the concept of femininity, starting from the condition of women in Poland in light of the restrictive policies adopted by recent conservative governments regarding reproductive issues and civil rights.

Drawing from personal experience and the feeling of anger felt since adolescence in response to gender disparities and the lack of role models challenging the roles traditionally assigned to women, the artist highlights the legacy of a patriarchal culture still deeply rooted in society. She does this through dense and reflective paintings, in which women are portrayed in company or situations of mutual exchange. It is not the representation of an idyll, but rather a suspension from what happens in the real world. The atmosphere is silent and, at the same time, charged with ambiguity and emotional tension.

This intensity is reflected in the title of the exhibition All These Waves, an expression chosen to indicate the spread of a collective feeling encapsulated both in the works on display and in the female experience itself. Evocative of a plural and perpetual motion, the title brings to mind the strength of feminist struggles throughout history as well as today’s battles for the acknowledgement of one’s rights. Through a spontaneous and intuitive painting process, Dominika Kowynia presents a plurality of voices that merge into a single, powerful wave recounting the existence of each one of us. These are the waves of the sea, of time, of struggles, of freedom and of words.

Biography 

Dominika Kowynia (Sosnowiec, 1978) is a painter specialized in figurative oils. She graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice in 2003 and has worked at the same institution as a lecturer ever since. She earned a Doctoral Degree in 2010.

She has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in several group exhibitions.

Recent solo and two person exhibitions include: Panoramas, New Theater, Warsaw, Poland (2023); Animals she houses, Polana Institute Gallery, Warsaw, Poland, and Nada Fair in New York (2023); Inner Edge, Import Export Gallery, Warsaw, Poland (2022); Attempt at Reversing, BWA Bielsko Biala, Poland (2020). Recent group exhibitions include: Building a garden around a burning house, Duza Scena Gallery, Poznan, Poland (2023); Who will write the history of tears. Artists on Woman’s Rights, Museum of Modern Arts, Warsaw, Poland (2022); After Desire, Monti8 Gallery, Italy (2022); Women at the Academies of Fine Arts, Aula Gallery, Gdansk, Poland (2022); Something in common/Warsaw Under Construction, Museum of Modern Art, Poland (2020).

Her paintings have been included in the Collection of the ING Polish Art Foundation, the Art Collection of the Bielska BWA Gallery, the Collection of the Bęc Zmiana Foundation and in many private collections.