More about Museum of Nature

The Museum of Nature series is a collection of decorative paintings combining oil paint
with fabric. I make small-size images depicting stuffed birds which I had previously
photographed in natural history museums in Poland, Germany and Belarus. These seemingly
simple works carry a symbolic meaning, expressing the way in which an aesthetic facade
often conceals a very difficult reality. Natural history museums, although appearing to glorify
nature, are full of stuffed, dead animals used as decorative objects.
To me, the political aspect of the project is of particular importance, which I realized during
my short trip to Minsk. The reality there often resembles those dead stuffed birds – beautiful,
well-kept streets and squares create an appearance of prosperity and peace, which Belarus is
definitely lacking.