Zofia Blazko (b. 1986), Daphne's Metamorphosis

Origin:
private collection, Gdynia

Biography
In 2010, she defended her master's degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk in the field of "Painting" in the studio of Prof. Maciej Swieszewski and completed her first degree in the field of "Photography" under the supervision of Prof. Witold Wegrzyn. In 2012, she became a graduate of postgraduate studies in "Art Therapy" at the Medical Academy in Gdansk. The painter, fascinated by the life and works of Parisian painters, decided to go to France after graduation. In Paris, she stayed at the Jour et Nuit Culture artist residency, and then created at the prestigious Chez Robert studio, Électron Libre at 59 rue de Rivoli. Paris time was also a period of study in the studio of Professor Jacqu Yankiel Kikoine, a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, son of Michel Kikoine one of the founders of École de Paris. Recognized for her diligence and artistry, she was the first Polish woman in history to be given the opportunity to design and realize the decoration of the six-story façade of the building that is the artistic cradle of bohemian modern Paris at 59 rue de Rivoli.
Seeking new inspiration, in 2015 the artist traveled to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, for an artist residency. The six-month stay resulted in numerous portraits of African residents, which were acclaimed by the local community. The exhibition ending the artist's residency was honored by Senegal's Minister of Culture Mbagnick Ndiaye himself. In the second half of 2015. Zofia Blazko was on an artist residency at the Shangyuan Art Museum in Beijing, while in 2018 she was at the St. Petersburg Art Residency in the Russian Federation.
Currently, the painter lives and works in Warsaw. She has nine solo exhibitions to her credit, including at: Witkacy Theater - Zakopane 2016; Kuratorium Gallery - Warsaw 2017; and 101 Project Gallery - Warsaw 2018. She has also participated in over a dozen group exhibitions including: Sunny Art Centre - London 2019; National Historical Museum - Tiran 2019; "Robinson's Ship" - Wroclaw 2019; Baltic Sea Cultural Center - Gdansk 2017; Musée Théodore Monod D'art Africain - Dakar 2015; Shangyuan Art Museum - Beijing 2015.