New Choreography of Alcina is a comprehensive solo exhibition of the work of Pola Dwurnik, one of Poland’s most distinctive contemporary artists.
Returning to the character of Alcina from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, Dwurnik presents her in a fresh guise. In this interpretation, Alcina – known as the liberated ruler of an exotic island – is reimagined as a compassionate member of the animal community.
The exhibition features nearly 30 works across various media, including oil painting, collage, and sculpture, marking the culmination of Dwurnik’s 15-year exploration of the figure of Alcina and the theme of human-animal relations.
The presentation is accompanied by Daniel Ożga’s sound installation. In its narrative layer, the artist-witch Alcina’s voice guides visitors through the exhibition, inviting them to actively participate in co-creating the eponymous choreography.
This extensive exposition is the first of its kind to showcase Dwurnik’s paintings in Wrocław.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Pola Dwurnik (b. 1979) is one of the most distinctive Polish visual artist of her generation. She works primarily in oil painting, drawing, and collage. She is also an accomplished author and editor.
Dwurnik explores identity as it navigates the tension between internal emotions and external image, pushing the expressive boundaries of figurative representation. One of her central themes is the relationship between humans and animals, a motif she has explored over the years with a mix of fascination and almost obsessive intensity. Her work weaves together various cultural references, literature, and art history, creating a unique visual language that resonates with the aesthetic of decorative tapestries.
Dwurnik’s paintings and drawings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at numerous institutions, including the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, the Center for Polish Sculpture in Orońsko, MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, HAU2 in Berlin, Kunsthaus Baselland in Basel, MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art in Rome, Galeria Bielska in Bielsko-Biała, and Trafostacja Sztuki in Szczecin.
Her works are held in prestigious collections, including the National Museum in Gdańsk, the Museum of Warsaw, MOCAK in Krakow, Wrocław Contemporary Museum, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, The Bunker Artspace in West Palm Beach, and private collections worldwide. They have also appeared in numerous publications, including the covers of Ocalenie (Salvage) by Czesław Miłosz (Znak Publishing House, 2024) and Paradise Lost by John Milton (Silesian Library, 2024). In 2022, the National Museum in Warsaw, in collaboration with Krupa Gallery, published a comic book adaptation of Witkacy’s final novel Jedyne Wyjście (The Only Exit), illustrated by Dwurnik.
Dwurnik is well-known for her painting series and the publication Girl on Canvas, featuring texts by Olga Tokarczuk, Maria Poprzęcka, and Andrzej Depko, among others. Another notable series, Apolonia’s Garden, was showcased at MOCAK in Krakow in 2012. In Warsaw, her monumental eight-meter wall painting graces the foyer of the Norblin Factory.
After many years in Berlin, where she collaborated with galleries in Laden and Basel, Dwurnik is currently represented by Krupa Gallery (Wrocław) and Harkawik Gallery (New York, Los Angeles). She now resides and works in Warsaw.