Collection

Emilia Kina's photographic work is inextricably linked to her painting. These two media are intertwined and organically complement each other. The works created in 2023 mark her return to photography, after a long break. Throughout her studies, she attended a photography workshop, where she also completed an annex to her diploma.

Emilia Kina avoids everyday, life-like frames, instead works with finely crafted compositional solutions. An example is the diptych from 2023, which features a figure turned away from the viewer, with a cascade of hair resembling a heavy, flowing fabric. In this context, hair appears as something extremely intimate, allowing for a certain transformation while also serving as a shield against the outside world. The technique of photographing the figure twice, with a slight tilt of the head to the left, introduces the promise of revealing the identity of the person in the photograph. This approach is reminiscent of the portraits of Vilhelm Hammershøi, which often depict turned figures as well.

Both Kina’s painterly and photographic compositions emphasize the role of light and details. Despite transcending typical figurative features, they possess a narrative potential and a sense of elusiveness and ephemerality of the moment.

A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.Her graduation work was completed in Prof. Adam Bricken’s studio and the graduation work annex in photography in Tomáš Agat Błoński’s studio. Kina’s artistic practice primarily revolves around painting and photography. She also creates exhibition arrangements, collaborating with institutions such as the Stefan Gierowski Foundation, the Museum of Literature in Warsaw, and the Manggha Museum in Krakow. Kina often return to the motif of screens, cur­tains and blinds. She modifies her canvases, giving the painted materials the illusion of rippling and fluttering. During the pandemic, she created her first works from the series "spotlights," where light played a significant role in the composition. The artist is interested in the materiality of the painting. Her works often stem from theoretical reflection, particularly from Renaissance treatises on painting, including the concept of the painting as a window and theories of photography. She lives and works in Krakow.