Artist statement

My favorite subject is the female nude. I especially enjoy painting myself. I am fascinated by the dual role I take on – as both observer and observed. The theme of my own image gives me the opportunity to show how inner experiences transform into external reality. I am interested in the process in which emotions, intuition, and personal experiences lead to a metamorphosis of form and color, creating a new image.

Emotions are the driving force of my work. I emphasize the release of the unconscious during the artistic process. I paint quickly, impulsively, in a rhythm dictated by the body and state of mind. The technique I use is crucial, as it allows me to work at my own pace. I truly enjoy experimenting. I am constantly searching for the best way to express my thoughts and emotions.

For me, art is a space for creative exploration and a tool of introspection. The self-portrait becomes not only an image but also a process – a dialogue between the inner and outer world, in which I uncover my own independence and strength.

CV

Education

2017 Art Gallery Assistant Internship, Galleria Stefano Forni, Bologna, Italy,

2016 Art Gallery Assistant Internship, Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin, Germany,

2015 History of Art, Unipd, Padua, Italy,

2014 – 2016  MA Degree in History of Art, UMK, Torun, Poland,

2012 Painting, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan, Italy,

2009 – 2014 MA Degree in Painting, Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland,

2008 – 2009 Philosophy, UMK, Torun, Poland.

Exhibitions

2025    Ślady po obłokach, ślady po paznokciach, Bulvary, Wrocław, Poland

2024   Nie wypada?, Galeria Przedpokój, Toruń, Poland

2022    37 x 33 cm – The Third, Red Gate Gallery, Beijing, China

2021    Eros, Acid Gallery, Lille, France,

              Akty, ArtShopM6, Toruń, Poland,

2018   Ptaki Moje, Klatka B, Gdańsk, Poland,

              Kunst:offen, Kulturhaus Steinfurth, Germany,

2017    Atelierfest. Birds, Kulturhaus Steinfurth,  Germany,

             Nude, Kulturspeicher, Ueckermünde, Germany

             Dilemma, Kulturhaus Steinfurth,  Germany,

             Birds, Pracownia Duży Pokój, Warszawa, Poland,

          

For inquiries

maria.iciak@gmail.pl