Karolina Jabłońska Frozen head, 2022

Karolina Jabłońska’s painting is from a series of works with a distinct blue purplish palette. Her depictions of female figures—generally self-portraits—suggest strong emotions but also evoke a visceral response in the viewer. We feel the freezing cold, even if her pictorial alter ego, standing in a frozen lake or with her head encased in a giant ice cube, appears not to mind. Everyday situations—such as wringing out a wet garment or washing one's hair—take on a suggestive power in their monumental size and coloristic intensity. Jabłońska’s paintings often feature a mixture of low-key drama and hilarity. As the artist has put it, “the paintings come from small sensory and emotional impressions.” Yet, the personal is also political: metaphors for emotional states, inherent in these paintings are references to the role of women, the existential threat to their bodies and restrictions imposed by political realities.