Paulina Otylie Surys

Paulina Otylie Surys possesses an inextinguishable lust for the art of creation. In collaboration with The Public House of Art she has created a rare mixed media series, which has transpired into a marriage of hand-processed photography and painting. Her working process stems from the pictorial tradition of the silver gelatine print, once reserved solely for the aristocracy. It is through pensive exploration that we begin to see a physical reference to the aesthetics of decay.

Her technique begins with a black and white silver gelatin photograph, directed and shot by herself, upon which she paints bleeding veils of paint, toners, inks and dyes; viewers become engrossed by a hypnotic, painterly illusion. Surys then prints these delicate hand-held photographs into larger sizes to become a limited edition of 30, and upon these prints she paints yet another layer with thick acrylic. Surys’ intention is to build layers upon her work as a spiritually immersive technique that relates to the transcendent gesture of application, and transforming the works from editions to originals.

A surrounding white border around each mixed media work evidences the lingering trace of the artist’s touch, and distinguishes the image as an intimate portal into the artist’s fantasy. Surys’ work captures a blissful allure that drips with a gothic enchantment, unearthing the beauty in the grotesque.

Paulina Otylie Surys was born in Leszno, Poland. She attended the Academy of Fine Arts for painting in Wroclaw of her home country. Later, she graduated with a degree in photography from Middlesex University in London, which remains her home base today. Since then, she has continued to meld the two disciplines to exemplify her sublime skill as an interdisciplinary artist.