The solo exhibition of Paulina Halasova, a young graduate in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts, held in the Zahorie Gallery of Jan Mudroch in Senica, is presenting various positions that have been reflected in her work from the study period to the present day. As an artist, she perceives quite naturally the situations that social networks bring into the image of an individual. She matures with them and intuitively includes them in her work. A special point of view is represented by the position of this young artist who is trying to find her place on the current art scene. Against the background of her immediate autobiographical record, she reports on a highly competitive artistic environment focusing on self-presentation. This is one of the reasons why she has produced the figurative expression in large-format paintings from the very beginning. During her studies, she began to fill her works mainly with female figures, confident heroines from comics and water worlds, but also mortals close to us. Despite their cheerful colours, however, they carry a kind of animalism in their determination to fulfil their desires without any restrictions. That’s why many of them eventually turn into beautiful but dangerous predators in the human form. Leopards and crocodiles in fashionable clothes have become her symbol of predatory self-confidence. She does not hesitate to explore seemingly cruel scenes or physical deformities. In her presentation, however, they are rather a harsh, exaggerated irony, which draws attention to the insidious and superficial images for the emoticon meanings of the generation of “Likes” and “Red Hearts”.

Paulina Halasova questions the division into beautiful and ugly not only in terms of the physical appearance, but also in aesthetic categories. She is interested in how we determine what good or bad painting is and what kitsch is. The artist reverses the principles by placing it in unexpected situations or, on the contrary, accidentally exchanging it with non-kitschy, modern elements. It is not the subject of ironic criticism, but its liking is a fundamental concern of her parodied adoration. Her realistic painting combines perhaps all possible elements perceived as decadent kitsch: deer, beasts and butterflies, exotic and historical interiors. This overcrowding results in “dreamy” and paradoxical relief: it is a kitsch that is not taken seriously.

Realistic painting techniques alternate with drawing and simple illustration, which she enters in the form of text. The form of tag lines or ironic stories is closely related to communication on the Internet, such as smileys, emoticons or stories. She relativizes and ironically comments on the contemporary forms of beauty, power, manipulation, self-presentation and desire for attention. The exhibition will run until 5th June 2022.

Jana Babušiaková