Barbara Porczyńska is a visual artist, painter and writer. Her work explores femininity, the body, motherhood and artistic identity, finding meaning in everyday experiences. She works with painting, objects and text, often using everyday items to convey personal and universal stories.
She is an assistant professor at the Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Rzeszów. In 2024, she completed her PhD with distinction, titled "MaMalarka. Between Everyday Life and Art", under the supervision of Prof. Jadwiga Sawicka. She is the author of the artist's book "Za-piski MaMalarki. 2019–2022". Her artistic practice inspired the award-winning documentary film "MAMALARKA", directed by Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz.
She has been a finalist in international art competitions, including the RBSA Portrait Prize 2026 (UK), and has received numerous artistic awards, including the Premio Material Artístico "ESCODA" at FIGURATIVAS 2023 in Barcelona and awards at the London Art Biennale 2021.
In 2026, she presented her solo exhibition "Oddycham" (I Breathe) at BWA Krosno, exploring resilience, care and art as a strategy for survival. Her recent projects also include "Proces twórczy" (Creative Process), developed in collaboration with film director Marcin Janos Krawczyk.
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Artist Statement
My artistic practice develops at the intersection of personal experience and everyday life. In my project "MaMalarka" (since 2019), I explore the relationship between motherhood and artistic practice, trying to capture the tension between the many roles we play in life and the need to preserve a space of our own. Everyday life, household objects and ordinary activities became material for my art, while painting became a way to reclaim time and space for myself.
Over time, this perspective began to expand. The exhibition "Oddycham" (2026) marks another stage in this journey, turning towards what is most fundamental: presence, sensation, the need for space and the possibility of taking a breath. I am interested in the body as a space of memory, emotion and experience, but also as a place where I can return to my own sense of self. Breathing becomes a symbol of presence, autonomy and the possibility of reclaiming space for myself.
I see art as a space for mindfulness, self-discovery and reclaiming my own voice. Both projects share an interest in everyday, bodily and emotional experiences, but the focus has shifted: from searching for a place for art in life to finding space for myself through art.
Solo Exhibitions – 2026
- "MaMalarka. Pracownia jest tu!" – Podkarpacki Szlak Filmowy w Łańcucie, Vol. 7, MDK Gallery, Łańcut
- "ODDYCHAM" – BWA Krosno
- "Babski wieczór. Spotkania ze sztuką" – Painting exhibition, GOK Czarna
- "Proces twórczy: Barbara Porczyńska i Marcin Janos Krawczyk" – GOK Jaśliska and Kuźnia Tradycji Regional Museum, Jaśliska
- "Proces twórczy: Barbara Porczyńska i Marcin Janos Krawczyk" – Janos Gallery, Warsaw
- "Kącik z zabawkami" – Museum Gallery at the Rectorate of the University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów
Group Exhibitions – 2026
- 5th National Art Competition "Nowe Sytuacje!" – Gallery of the Faculty of Stage Design, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
- 7th Triennial of Contemporary Polish Painting "Jesienne Konfrontacje" – Rzeszów
- 3rd VIA CARPATIA Art Triennial – IMO Gallery, Stary Sącz
- 3rd Krzysztof Grzesiak National Painting Competition – Fregata Cultural Centre, Lębork
- Festival of Contemporary Polish Painting – Pomeranian Dukes' Castle, Szczecin
- 6th TARNOWIANIE Festival, 3rd Art Biennale in Tarnów – Centrum Sztuki Mościce, Tarnów
- 1st International Art Biennale "Pałac Struga 2026. KONTEKSTY" – Struga
- 7th Leon Wyczółkowski National Painting Competition – BWA Bydgoszcz
- "Inwazje" – Municipal Museum, Żory
- RBSA Portrait Prize – RBSA Gallery, Birmingham, UK
- 5th Spring Salon, National Art Exhibition – Galeria Operis Artis, Antonin
