World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 442 - Kamila Sipika

World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 442 – Kamila Sipika
Kamila Sipika is a nominee for the Piket Kunstprijs 2023 in the painting category. I chatted with her in the Coffee Company in The Hague, near Noordeinde Palace. “Great to have everyone from different art disciplines together,” says Kamila. “Not only visual arts but also dance and theater are included. I’m honored to be a part of it. There’s a lot on the horizon.”

She describes her concept as “paintings in different series that are all related.” “I am investigating various subjects all related to image-making methods and image seduction, where traditional painting techniques are influenced by digital possibilities. I explore these topics from several angles in order to avoid having only one point of view on the same subject.”

Flowers
Her current focus is on flowers. “I want to explore flower still life paintings, which have a long and beautiful tradition in the Netherlands dating back to the 17th century.” One of the most significant flowers is the tulip, which appears to have a Dutch provenance when seen in recent paintings but actually originates in Turkey. “A simple thing as a flower can have a variety of meanings and that excites me. Among these are decay, purity, vanitas, or ephemerality. I’d like to put it in my own context. I’ve created a lot of digital and oil paintings based on that concept, which I want to pursue for the time being.”

The project’s research begins with three beginning points: the Netherlands, Poland, and Brazil. “That choice is due to the fact that I am half Polish and half Brazilian and for a couple of years I have lived in the Netherlands.” Each of the three countries has distinct floral traditions, which may be seen in a variety of mediums such as furniture, decorative elements, paintings, and bouquets. “I’m going to investigate whole traditions. I plan to accomplish this through research and travel.”
She has already undertaken research studies in Poland and Amsterdam. “Hand-painted flowers can be seen under the roofs of the village of Zalipie. In Amsterdam, I examined documentation regarding community gardens and allotments at the City Archives. Also of note: Aalsmeer hosts the world’s largest cut flower auction. Moreover I’m looking into obtaining an art residency in Brazil to investigate the cultural and social traditions there.”

How did this theme come her way?
Working digitally, she claims, began in Corona time. “While remained at home, I began to wonder, ‘How can I resemble painting qualities in digital realms?’ I was really interested in the impact of the digital environment. But I’ve always been drawn to oil painting and physical works. I saw an exhibition at the Warsaw National Museum earlier this year that had a significant influence on my current project. I paid special attention to the shapes and manner in which the flowers were represented in still life paintings.”

Does she have a key work?
She has. ‘The Persistent After-Image’ is her graduation project from the Hague Royal Academy of Arts (KABK). “An afterimage is a phenomenon that occurs when you look too long at the bright sun and the image of the sun lingers in your eyes for a short period of time. It’s a fleeting occurrence. A lot of light entered my KABK studio on the top floor. I hung empty canvases next to each other and played with the light. I used an airbrush and spray paint to produce pastel colors on the canvases. I experimented with different light intensities by using filters on the window. This resulted in an evolving color palette.”
Her work has been ‘deliberately and naturally expanding’ since that time. She still has one artwork from that series that she refuses to part with and is very attached to.

What is her education?
From 2015 to 2019, she studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Originally, she aspired to be an architect. She was an exchange student at the Royal Academy in The Hague as part of the Erasmus program from 2019 to 2021. She then returned in 2021 to complete her studies at the Warsaw Academy. “As a child, I was always very interested in art: painting and sculpture. Andrzej Podkanski, a Polish painter with whom I took classes, urged me to pursue fine painting since I had a unique sense of color, as he thought.”

What is her experience of art life?
“Even though the creative life provides both freedom and vulnerability, it can be rather difficult at times. I recently found an art studio where I can create and contemplate. It was convenient at the KABK since you had your studio and workshops, as well as input from the lecturers. Now I must forge my own path. The experiences have been challenging but many of them are very positive. Occasionally, a collector may approach you but you should start by working on representing yourself and doing what you really believe in – I think. Last September, I attended Stroom Invest Week, where I received funding, and had a lot of inspiring art conversations with various artists and curators. Besides that, earlier this year, Rademakers Gallery, an Amsterdam gallery, approached me. They spotted my work during the Utrecht Springboard Art Fair and now they represent my works. So that I can produce and concentrate on my practice.”

Finally, what is her philosophy?
She leans back (to think things through). “I’m fascinated by things that are ephemeral, intangible, and changing, and I work hard to convey that in my works. My art is inspired by my observations of daily life. I realized how fascinating it is to observe things from different angles. I don’t want a single view; I want as many perspectives as possible. Therefore, I am also always eager to collaborate with other artists and curators.”

Images
1) All the flowers in time bend towards the sun, 2) Image desires I, 3) Image desires II, 4) In the Garden I, 5) In the Garden I & II, 6) In The Garden II & I, 7) Kamila Sipika portrait, 8) Painted village oil on canvas, 9) Painted village oil on canvas, detail, 10) Rotting Land, Kamila Sipika

https://kamilasipika.com/  
https://www.instagram.com/kamilasipika
https://ifthenisnow.eu/nl/verhalen/kamila-sipika-i-think-of-my-work-as-memories-of-observation-of-daily-life