Scares – Natalia Borczi

In Polish, the literal translation of the Siberian dragonfly is called Scares (Straszki).  They are the only adult dragonfly that winter in Poland. It is not clear why this species owes its name, perhaps it is because they are very timid and fly away as soon as they feel threatened. Scares are also supernatural creatures that appear in folklore stories, local mythologies and oral legends. They do not have the malevolence of fairy-tale monsters, ghosts and demons. In folk beliefs, they are delicate creatures used to tell stories that warn against danger, punish bad behavior or simply arouse a fascination with horror.

“Scares” is also the title of one of Borczi’s paintings. However, her work is not an illustration of a folkloric land. The artist abandons faithful reproduction of reality in her painting. It is not easy to identify specific objects, characters or scenes in her paintings. So there is no point in wondering “will there be monsters in this story?”, because Borczi follows a completely different path. She undertakes the professions of abstraction – experimenting with form, color, line and composition. Many of her paintings consist of a multitude of geometric forms, more or less regular shapes, or endlessly winding lines. However, they are not subordinated to the rigor of mathematical precision, but rather emerge from an explosion of colors, which results from the affective power of Borczi’s abstract painting. Her painting method is intuitive and largely improvised. When she starts working on a new painting, she does not assume its final version in advance. The final effect is the result of many spontaneous decisions – her paintings are therefore collections of separate painting gestures. Considering her painting open to randomness allows her to freely express her emotions. This is where the title “scares” appear: they materialize in the form of momentary moods, forces from within the psyche that manage the creative process.

Natalia Borczi

Born in 1996 in Warsaw, where she lives and works. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw with a diploma defended in 2022. She paints with egg tempera on canvas, and draws inspiration from everything that is round, irregular and organic. A free, intuitive and largely improvised creative process is extremely important to her. In addition to tempera painting, he also creates using gouache and screen printing techniques.

Finalist of Bielska Jesień 2023 and the National Youth Review Promocje 2023. In 2022, finalist of the 5th Competition Leon Wyczółkowski and the 47th Winter Salon in Radom. Participant of the Pienkow Art Residency and the International Open Air Festival. Valdis Buss in Latvia.