Natalia Żychlińska (PL)
Text written by GHA
Natalia Żychlińska’s oversaturated linocuts in large formats depict curious encounters of landscapes and industry entangled in complex relations.
Classic landscape formats display vast natural horizons in seemingly idyllic settings. The scenes are, however, complicated by industrial artefacts and constructions forcing themselves into the panoramas, thereby challenging the contemplation of nature´s pristine beauty in an industrialised age.
Lakes and rivers are recurring motifs in Żychlińska’s compositions. Often acting as mirrors of the horizon, the water’s reflection fuses natural and industrial elements and thereby makes it difficult to draw clear-cut distinctions between nature and human culture.
Instead, the complex relation seems to suggest nature as an inevitable condition we continue to influence and get influenced by. This, however, doesn’t leave dystopian images. Rather, the reduction lino technique allows multiple layers of colours to be superimposed, creating a rich texture and very bright, vibrant prints. In combination with the fertile and abundant nature, this challenges a common pessimism in contemporary depictions of the meeting between industry and nature. Hence, the neither entirely harmonious nor dystopian expression leaves the viewer room to participate in an open-minded discussion of the world we have created, our place in nature and our concept of beauty.
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