Info
The graduation project is comprised of two separate works which were being developed simultaneously. What they share is the overall angle of my explorations, i.e. the search for an unadulterated form of honest expression and the unique definition of “ME as me.”
Zachwyt i Smętek / Enchantment and Smętek*, 2016-2019
A return to my hometown, to the land of my childhood. Can I relate to the forgotten folktales of Smętek, Topielec and Rusalki** in any way? The poetic fascination with this theme takes on a distinct tangibility when, alone, you cross the meadows of Masuria and pass by ominously rustling poplars to find yourself at the lakeside. Having started with the idea of the folktale, I ended up with a self-directed documentary, as the small town of Pasym all of a sudden began to tell its own story.
We notice the presence of nature in its various manifestations. They differ from each other and surface in various natural elements, i.e., in character traits. They emerge from the personality. ME feels a bond with the native Masurians, who believed devils, demons, and magical forces to be embodiments of nature.
*
“Smętek” has a dual meaning. As a common noun it is a slightly archaic word for sadness; at the same time, it is the name of a mischievous hobgoblin in Masurian folklore.
**
Smętek (a devilish hobgoblin), Topielec (a kelpie) and Rusalka (a water nymph) are legendary spirits in Masurian folktales.
Psyche Killers, 2016-2017
Psyche killers means incompatible and aberrant. It is a variation on the notion of psychopaths (psycho-killers). In a series of quasi-documentaries, I focus on young people, their infantilism and sensitivity. Authenticity is the priority. I confront the reality of and the creative practices on the Internet, composing my work as a YouTube channel.
Klaudia Paliwoda, born in 1994 in Szczytno, a recipient of scholarships of the Prime Minister (2012) and of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2013). She has won awards at the Figures of the Body Biennial of Drawing and Painting and the 21st Krystyna Drążkiewicz Nationwide Plein-Air Drawing and Painting Competition, as well as distinctions at the Creativity of the Youth International Biennial Contest of Photography, the nationwide photography competition Young Laurel, and the Deep Perception 7th All-Polish Student Photography Competition in the Stories from Life category.