Dorota Banaszek is a graduate of the Cracow School of Art and Fashion Design and the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. She received an honours degree in the Carpet and Tapestry studio, which was nominated for the Best Diploma of the Year 2003 Award.
She has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad, including the Carpet and Tapestry exhibition "Salles d'Anchina" in Douai, France, the 5th International Design Biennale Saint-Étienne, France, the "Ecoles & Entreprises" exhibition, the group exhibition "Splendor Tkaniny" [Splendour of Textile] at the Zachęta – National Gallery of Art. She is the winner of the international competition "Talente 2002" in Munich. In 2014, her Osada carpet was honoured in the Must Have poll. She has been designing for 24 years and has been associated with Agnella for 19 years.
The artist's work can be seen in her online portfolio.
W TYM PRACUJĘ, W TYM JESTEM, TO ZNAM
"W tym pracuję, w tym jestem, to znam" [This is what I work in, this is what I am in, this is what I know] – these are the words of the artist herself, which perfectly describe the exhibition DESIGN ŚLADAMI NATURY as part of the 15th International Open Air of Wicker Forms and Land Art: IN SYNERGY WITH NATURE – fractals, labyrinths, spirals.
The exhibition is presented in two buildings of the Wozownia 11 Gallery, Skłodowska-Curie 11, and can be divided into two segments. The first one, as the title of the event suggests, shows the links with nature. The series "Krajobrazy" [The Landscapes] from 2021, consists of three circular – unintentionally associated with Mother Earth, planets – carpets.
"KRAJOBRAZY" SERIES
The works were inspired by nature, and more specifically landscape parks. We can recognise the Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley, Puszcza Solska Landscape Park and the Rospuda Valley, which is a protected area in Podlasie region, particularly close to the artist's heart because of her origins. The works were created in winter time and they were heavily influenced not only by the natural surroundings, but also by the artist's loved ones – thanks to their passion for paragliding, she was able to see bird's-eye photographs of the parks, which became the inspiration for the works.
Dorota Banaszek's main focus when creating her unique carpets is texture, showing the wealth of weaving possibilities, favoured by the varied form of the green spaces as well as the suppleness of the rivers flowing through them. The sensorics and texture of the carpets act as a contact with nature, the lack of which was particularly felt during the pandemic. This aspect is the bridge that connects the first part of the exhibition with its second segment – a series consisting of four carpets entitled "Seismogram", which was created in 2022 during the pandemic.
"SEISMOGRAM" SERIES
In the four works that make up this series, the artist draws attention to ailments that have affected both her and us as a society and are still here even after the time of isolation. The main aspect that she emphasises in her work is the fact that during the pandemic not only the bodies of the sick suffered, but also the psyche of all those affected by isolation.
Dorota Banaszek takes up the challenge of presenting her interpretation of this still unclear and difficult period. The brain, lungs and heart, shown in the three works, are the organs that were most vulnerable to injury during the epidemic.
The final fourth carpet remains empty. The black background invites reflection – each of us has changed and has been differently affected by the hard times of the pandemic. The pattern, embroidered at the rectangular edges and repeated on each work, is like a cage, a confinement. The frame is made up of armed figures, and between them there is an understated figure in a mask that is the flagship symbol of the times of isolation.
EXHIBITION AS PART OF THE FESTIVAL
The carpets by Dorota Banaszek that are presented as part of the "DESIGN ŚLADAMI NATURY" exhibition, are an interesting representation of a classic form in a modern and up-to-date approach. In addition to the aforementioned collections, the exhibition will feature the series "Pole" [The Field] from 2021 and a series of works on carbon paper selected by the artist.
The opening of the exhibition will take place on 4 July at 6.30 p.m. at the university's Wozownia 11 Gallery at M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 11 in Lodz.
Text: Anna Kidoń
Edit: Bartosz Kałużny (Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz)
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