Malwina Jachimczak (b. 1983), Magpie / Cat / The Humboldt Squid Totem, 2022

mixed technique (crayons, acrylic), paper, 99.8 x 45.1 cm, signed on the back

I have been thinking about this project for some time. I wanted to create a representation of us - complex living beings and what drives us in the world. A representation of our rationality, our feelings and emotions, as well as our base of intuition, intuition and all that we do without thinking, automatically and what is obvious to us. I wanted to visualize the symbols of forces and energies that inspire us to act and give rhythm to our steps.
I thought about totems and cave paintings, the shaman from Lascaux cave and his spirit guide - a bird - sitting nearby. I decided to divide the painting into three parts like the elements of a totem: mind, heart and guts. These three parts of our body try to recognize our situation in the world. They whisper some advice to us. The mind analyzes events. The heart recognizes emotions, and the gut transmits signals from intuition.
In my works, body parts are shown as animals. Each totem is a composition that is different for each of us, because each of us is a unique synthesis of mind, heart and intuition. The beings shown on my totems are shamanic guides of unique character. They provoke us to think, what kind of beings are our guides in the world?)