Katarzyna KUDEŁKA (b. 1980), Dilemmas, 2026

acrylic on canvas, 100 x 70 cm, signed lower right: K. Kudełka

Born in 1980. Painter, graduate of the painting program at the University of Zielona Góra. She began her artistic career as an artist without formal training. At this stage of her career, she focused primarily on figurative painting inspired by machines, mechanisms, and architectural elements observed in her surroundings. Her work from that period captures the viewer’s attention with its intense colors and original perspective on inconspicuous objects.
Currently, she paints works that most often refer to situations observed in everyday life, which she very consistently combines with a distinctive narrative subtly woven into, for example, the work’s non-obvious title. She readily employs stylized simplification, reducing painted forms to simple and almost monochromatic planes. She imaginatively distorts reality by combining elements not yet socially established, drawing on the traditions of Pop Art, Minimalism, and even Surrealism. Her painting is modern, yet elegant and sophisticated, and as a result, it resembles good design. She is among those artists who attach great importance to the concept and the story her painting should convey to its viewer; this is why her painting is discursive.
For her achievements in the field of art to date, she was awarded the LABOR OMNIA VINCIT silver medal by the Hipolit Cegielski Society in Poznań in 2020. She received an honorable mention in the “In vino veritas” competition organized by the Regional Museum in Jasło in 2023. She was a finalist in the 6th ANIMALIS Painting Triennial 2023—MM Gallery in Chorzów—in 2023. She won the GRAND PRIX in the “ECHOES OF THE PAST, VISIONS OF THE FUTURE” Painting Competition — Museum of Applied Arts at the Royal Castle in Poznań — 2025. Her works are included in the collections of the Regional Museum in Jasło and the Castle in Kórnik.
Selected solo exhibitions:
“Gears of Time” at: MiG Lwówek Public Library – 2016, GOK Przytoczna – 2019, NA SKRZYDŁACH Gallery in Przeciszów – 2020, GOK SEZAM in Tarnowo Podgórne – 2019, WiMBP in Zielona Góra – 2021.
“She… and More” at the ODK BAJKA in Poznań – 2019.
“A Closer Look” at the Public Library in Pniewy – 2021.
*A Whisper of Existence* at: the Gallery in Wolsztyn – 2023, MiPBP in Nowy Tomyśl – 2023, the Center for Creative Activities in Lublin – 2024, the Regional Museum in Świebodzin – 2024.
“Narratives” at the Community Culture Center in Nowe Miasteczko – 2025.
Selected group exhibitions:
SZOTY 7. INGREDIENTS, ISW 2022 Graduation Works – BWA Zielona Góra – 2023
Time for Art – art exhibition and auction, On*arte Gallery in Poznań – 2024
art – GEN... – art exhibition and auction, On*arte Gallery in Poznań – 2024
Post-competition exhibition at the Regional Museum in Jasło – 2024
OSADA SZTUKI at: the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in Darłowo and at Sicilia di Stefano Terrazzino in Warsaw – 2025
in Art.WE TRUST – art exhibition and auction, On*arte Gallery in Poznań – 2024
5th International Art Review “FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE SEA” – Struga Palace, 2025
Post-Competition Exhibition ECHOES OF THE PAST, VISIONS OF THE FUTURE – Museum of Applied Arts at the Royal Castle in Poznań and at the Royal Castle in Warsaw – 2025
13th International Art Review “ALTERNATIVES 33, 2025/2026” – Ostrów Wielkopolski – 2026
KONGLOMERAT 3 at ZPAP Szczecin, Kierat Gallery – 2026
The Act of Seeing—Unperformed Art On*arte, Polish Theater in Poznań – 2026