MARZENA WASIKOWSKA
JOURNEY RELUCTANTLY TAKEN. PART 2
These photographs are not about geographical place. They will not be found in any travel brochure. In fact the idea of the journey is of little consequence to the intent of this work. These are not images of a destination. They are pure place in the same sense that there is pure mathematics or pure emotion. You are ‘there’ without any prior complications and it’s sublime. There is no clear sense of direction, no escape by compass. Water, not land, is everywhere. Water in great quantity is falling, it pounds itself into mist. Birds fly serenely above the turbulence to mock human inadequacy despite the fact we have contrived a birds eye view. There is danger for the viewer should the foot slip, the engine stop or an ascent to heaven falter. These pictures put you in an emotional state that is without stable government. It is lawless.
This body of work is a companion to previous investigations of landscape as metaphor, most notably ‘Forensic Landscapes’ (1999 – 2004) and ‘Excavations’ (2004 – 2007).
BIOGRAPHY
Marzena is a Polish born artist living and working in Canberra. She has exhibited both in Australia and overseas. In 1998 she produced a body of work about her return to Poland after 24 years living away. Titled I left Poland when I was 11 years old, the series was supported by a grant from artsACT and widely exhibited in Australia, Poland and Berlin. In 2000 she produced Fragrant Sweat a body of portraiture of her daughter Jess and her teenage friends. Forensic Landscapes is a body of work exploring the rugged bush of the Australian landscape and Excavations is a meditation of the built environment. Marzena’s most recent work is a contemplation on waterscapes.
Her photographs are in both public and private collections. More images of Marzena’s work can be viewed at her website.