Elzbieta Sikorska

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Artist Statement

For several years I’ve been preoccupied with the ideas of time and I often refer to the far away past in order to put the present, as we experience it, in some perspective, and to awaken reflections in times of high emotions. I also try to show that our search for a collective self should stretch back in time, since understanding the past is necessary to comprehend the present. Most recently I’m interested in themes of communication and perception, which are always crucial, but especially in times of confusion. The same theme is my focus in a larger series of new drawings and prints. I use existing objects or imagery as inspiration, and quote them in my arrangements. I collect or appropriate images from all kinds of sources and then transform them in my drawings. Placed in new contexts or in a juxtaposition, these images might reveal new meanings and provoke thoughts. As models for the submitted artwork, I used images of ancient art, contemporary art, and myself. Drawing is my primary medium and I use all available techniques: colored pencils, pastels, and washes of all kinds. Handmade paper I made myself from highly beaten abaca fiber is an important element of my recent work. It has a translucent characteristic which I emphasize by applying opaque pulp paper and other media like ashes or dirt onto already formed sheets, and sometimes I draw on both sides of the paper.

www.elzbietasikorska.com