Grazyna SMALEJ (1976), Pillow I; 1998

oil, canvas: 32 x 45 cm
Signed on the back: GRAŻYNA SMALEJ

Graduate of the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Scholarship holder of the Hans Bernhardt scholarship program (Germany). Winner of the Grand Prix of the Minister of Culture in the Marian Michalik Competition for Young Painters in Częstochowa. Multiple finalist of the Biennale of Polish Painting "Bielska Jesień".
Author of numerous solo exhibitions and participant in group exhibitions at home and abroad, including at the Saatchi Gallery in London and in Lambertville (USA). Her works are in private and institutional collections in Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia. A member of the ecofeminist collective Sisters of the River.
In her painting work, she moves freely between different conventions - from realism, to surrealistic forms, to abstraction.

Early works from 1998, depicting the motif of pillows, already reveal the clear direction of the artist's work, focused on the observation of everyday life. Carefully constructed painting matter and conscious handling of color lead the narrative of the paintings towards intimate, muted spaces. The dominant, sensual red introduces associations with the aesthetics of boudoir interiors, emphasizing the subtle, almost contemplative nature of the representation.