Bonds

The titular “Bonds” opens a space of ambiguity – suggesting both the delicate threads that connect people and something that restrains, irritates, or holds one in place. It is an invitation to reflect on how closely we approach others and how much of our intimacy we are willing to reveal. Human relationships appear here as a delicate interplay between presence and absence, closeness and withdrawal – imbued with a mystery often difficult to articulate. This tension, not always comfortable, resides between gesture and its absence, between words and silence. Marlena Szewczyk’s paintings speak quietly, yet linger in memory. Faces and fragments of bodies emerge from soft transitions of bluish and violet tones, as if veiled in mist. The eye – the artist’s favorite motif – appears as a subtle architect of tension: as delicate as an eyelash falling into the eye, as unsettling as a pebble in a shoe. This sensation grows slowly, not through dramatic events, but through persistent, minor irritation. The sudden appearance of a blush betrays a flicker of life beneath a cool surface, layering emotional vibrations without loud gestures. In Szewczyk’s work, intimacy blends with strangeness. The intense gazes of her figures create a relational dance between observer and observed – at every moment, one can feel both resistance and curiosity. It captures the frozen moment when a simple meeting of eyes becomes an overwhelming experience. The silence of these works encourages careful observation and reflection on what truly connects us to another person, and what – despite our efforts – continues to evade language and remains unsaid. Marlena Szewczyk’s exhibition “Bonds” is a subtle yet intense story about the tensions inherent in human relationships. With restrained painterly means, the artist creates images that balance between tenderness and detachment, closeness and alienation. Her works construct an atmosphere of silent dialogue – full of ambiguity, where the gaze becomes both a tool of connection and a source of unease. This is intimate yet opaque painting – raising questions about what truly binds us and how often a tie is something that simultaneously attracts and chafes.