Catastrophes is a series of 32 coloured-pencil drawings on small oval sheets of paper (8.5 × 11 cm), conceived in reference to the shape and function of a medallion.
Traditionally worn around the neck, a medallion can serve as a personal object carrying associations of identity, belief, memory, or belonging. Rather than functioning as a formal award, it becomes an intimate object imbued with personal meaning. This idea of the medallion as a small, precious container of significance informs the format of the series.
The Catastrophes depict miniature atomic bomb explosions as symbols of the small catastrophes that punctuate our lives: events with lasting consequences, rites of passage, or difficult threshold moments that require us to pass through a period of struggle or transformation. By miniaturising these explosions, I aim to distil grand personal dramas and difficult experiences into small, intimate objects that invite quiet reflection and make challenging emotions feel more contained.
The choice of coloured pencil—a medium often associated with childhood—further brings the monumental subject matter down to a more human and almost childlike scale. The contrast between the destructive power of the atomic explosion and the delicacy, intimacy, and apparent innocence of the drawing medium creates a tension between catastrophe and containment, grandeur and vulnerability.
Catastrophes took part in the group art exhibition “Słodka choroba” (in English Sweet Disease) in 2012 held at the BWA Municipal Gallery in Tarnów, Poland, curated by Magdalena Ujma and Agnieszka Bartak-Lisikiewicz.
Catastrophes
2012—2014
colour pencil on paper
8,5 × 11 cm