Asja Tustanowska
Asja Tustanowska is a contemporary painter and draftswoman who has exhibited across Eastern and Central Europe. Her most recent exhibitions in Wroclaw, Poland include Home Gallery, Tamka Gallery, and dual shows at U. KosalkiI Gallery. Asja describes her paintings and drawings as ‘rituals’ which “not only facilitate self-exploration but also provide a means of responding to the surrounding reality. By experiencing transformative states associated with bordering realms, various fears are aroused, ultimately contributing to the shaping of one's own personality”.
The works reflect on the theme of transformation; literally, metaphorically, and symbolically. Viewers may find iconography and forms similar to mythological characters, beasts, and stories. Using symbolic forms of portals, which could also be visually interpreted as shields, Asja portrays cloaked figures and women in elaborate dress reminiscent of royalty or people regarded with great importance. The fantasy undertones should not be ignored, much like a Jules Verne novel, the figures are depicted among colorful imaginative landscapes and seem to take shape in the forms of fantasy-based characters.
Whether the viewer’s interpretation remains of mythology or fantasy, the various paintings and drawings reflect emotional impulses and isolation in empty compositions. While some of the paintings may be colorful, other works may appear as if depicting dark figures in dingy, depressing interiors or backgrounds. The various array of emotions and sense of growth seems to evoke complex interactions and depictions. These mysterious works reflect a unique and wild imagination, reflective of the world around the artist, but also removed from reality. Changing, shifting, and organic, the various forms contained in the works reflect distorted anatomy and inclinations towards mythologically-laced storytelling which could be based on medieval or even ancient times.
Works which reflect mystery could be best alluded to as one of Asja’s cloak figurative paintings (pictured above). The piece appears to depict pink rabbit-like forms coming out of a figure with a long, deep cloak and surrounded by an empty but colorful landscape. Such unfamiliarity remains refreshing in painting, as we explore Asja’s unusual imagination which alludes to mythological and fantasy-laced imagery reflecting metamorphosis and change.
Asja Tustanowska’s works can be described as deeply psychological inclinations which explore themes of isolation, loneliness, and despair. These dark, mystical paintings (even when depicted with bright colors) reflect analogical and metaphorical forms which represent various emotions. She delves deep into the psychology and contemporary identity through exploration of individuality in an age catered to the masses.
