Zofia Błażko (b. 1986), "Farewell," 2015

Biography
In 2010, she earned her master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk in the field of “Painting” in the studio of Prof. Maciej Świeszewski and completed her bachelor’s degree in “Photography” under the supervision of Prof. Witold Węgrzyn. In 2012, she completed a postgraduate program in “Art Therapy” at the Medical University of Gdańsk. A painter fascinated by the lives and works of Parisian painters, she decided to move to France after graduating. In Paris, she participated in the Jour et Nuit Culture artist residency and subsequently worked in the prestigious studio Chez Robert, Électron Libre at 59 rue de Rivoli. Her time in Paris also included studies in the studio of Professor Jacques Yankiel Kikoine, a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris and the son of Michel Kikoine, one of the founders of the École de Paris. Recognized for her diligence and artistic skill, she became the first Polish woman in history to be given the opportunity to design and execute the decoration of the six-story facade of the building at 59 rue de Rivoli, which serves as the artistic cradle of contemporary Parisian bohemia.
Seeking new artistic inspiration, the artist left in 2015 for an artist-in-residence program in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Her six-month stay resulted in numerous portraits of African residents, which were well-received by the local community. The exhibition marking the end of the artist’s residency was honored by the presence of Senegal’s Minister of Culture himself, Mbagnick Ndiaye. In the second half of 2015, Zofia Błażko participated in an artist residency at the Shangyuan Art Museum in Beijing, and in 2018, at the St. Petersburg Art Residency in the Russian Federation.
Currently, the painter lives and works in Warsaw. She has held nine solo exhibitions, including at the Witkacy Theater in Zakopane in 2016; Kuratorium Gallery—Warsaw, 2017; and 101 Projekt Gallery—Warsaw, 2018. She has also participated in over a dozen group exhibitions, including at: Sunny Art Centre—London, 2019; the National Historical Museum—Tirana, 2019; “Robinson’s Ship” – Wrocław 2019; the Baltic Sea Cultural Center – Gdańsk 2017; the Musée Théodore Monod d’Art Africain – Dakar 2015; and the Shangyuan Art Museum – Beijing 2015.