Joanna Pilarczyk "Serene"
Joanna Pilarczyk "Serene" 2022
Painting, Oil, and Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 40 in
Unique
Signed on Verso
Joanna Pilarczyk is a London-based contemporary figurative painter. Born in Poland, Pilarczyk studied at the Art University in Zielona Gora, where she earned a Master's degree in Visual Arts and Art Education. Pilarczyk's artistic talent has earned her recognition and accolades. She was shortlisted for the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2025 at the National Portrait Gallery and was longlisted for the Jackson's Art Prize in 2024. She won the Boynes Monthly Artist Award [November 2024], the third time her painting was awarded in the 'colour' category. In 2023, Joana was a finalist for the International FiKVA Award for Figurative Painters and the Women United Art Prize in both 2022 and 2021. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at prestigious venues like the Royal Society of Arts at the Vaults Gallery, Mall Galleries at the Women in Art Fair, Start Art Fair in Saatchi Gallery and the Other Art Fair in Truman Brewery, London. Additionally, she showcased her newest paintings at a solo show with Oink Gallery, featuring pieces from her 'My Paradise' series. Furthermore, Joanna actively participated in the Spring and Summer editions of the Other Art Fair in 2022-2024.
Her artworks have crossed international borders, with her paintings from the 'My Paradise' series exhibited at the Superfine Art Fair in Times Square, New York, and a solo show on Artsy curated by the Untitled Space Gallery. The works from the 'Intimate Times' series were exhibited at 33 Contemporary Gallery in Chicago, Mixx Atelier Gallery in Telluride, USA, and Kunstbehandlung Gallery in Munich, Germany.
She currently exhibits her paintings at the 'A Gogo III' exhibition with the Mash Galley at Pacific Design Centre during Frieze Los Angeles and will participate in an International group show, 'Modern Female,' with 33 Contemporary in Palm Beach
Combining the lively, flesh-toned bodies of her models with vibrant, clean abstract shapes, patterns, and lemon-green foliage, Joanna Pilarczyk’s paintings pay tribute to modern portraiture and contemporary figurative art. Born in Poland in a post-Soviet country where everything seemed plain and uninspiring, she remembers her first glimpses of Western culture appearing on TV, which sparked her fascination with the multicultural world. After moving to London years later and having encountered these unknown, exotic places and people of many cultures, she began to be significantly influenced by them. Captivated by the vibrancy of paint, Pilarczyk uses a mixture of clashing colors, blending neon acrylics and oils to create sensual and striking portraits of acquaintances and friends within the community of North London. Her romantic compositions explore themes of relationships, self-awareness, and acceptance. They convey melancholy and stillness, capturing a moment where the subjects are simply resting and free of responsibility. In her recent work, Pilarczyk portrays mixed-race and gay couples and women of color. To create these portraits, the artist discusses marginalized communities with her friends and models, delving into their experiences, love stories, and struggles related to racism, sexuality, and cultural diversity. She aims to give a voice to people seeking acceptance within their community. Through these intimate portrayals, she also confronts the historical exclusion of Black bodies, LGBTQ+ relationships, and interracial couples from the artistic canon. While mainstream media and consumer culture have superficially embraced diversity, true representation in fine art remains rare. Pilarczyk’s paintings reclaim space for these individuals, affirming their presence and dignity in a world where their stories have often been erased or sidelined. Her subjects are not passive figures but active, central forces in her compositions. Whether capturing the resilience of Black women, the quiet tenderness of same-sex relationships, or the layered identities of immigrants navigating new realities, Pilarczyk challenges societal perceptions and celebrates the beauty of diversity. In a political climate where hard-fought civil rights are under renewed threat, her work stands as an act of resistance, demanding recognition, visibility, and equality.