Anna Sobkowiak
Anna Sobkowiak (b. 1980, Poland), featured in the Time Capsule Exhibition, is a figurative painter living and working in Poznań, Poland. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań in 2006 (diploma in the woodcut studio), and also studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under the International Student Exchange Scholarship. She spent her formative years in three European capitals: Prague, London, and Warsaw, which has shaped her awareness of painting and appreciation for beauty in all its forms, even if not obvious.
For the last twelve years, she has exhibited in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, the USA, and the UK, for instance, in Leto Gallery (Warsaw, Poland) and in the High Line Nine Galleries in New York. After her studies, she was associated with Poznań Nowa Gallery and was a laureate of the "Salted Candy 2010" competition. Nowadays, she also participates in online international exhibitions, such as "Boundless Whispers" organised by Eve Leibe Gallery and Artsy, and curated by Artsin Square. She is a finalist of the Emerging Artists Programme 2023 and 2024 competition, organised by Contemporary Art Collectors. Her works are held in private art collections in Poland, Spain, Canada, and the United States.
Artist Statement
Anna Sobkowiak (Poznań, Poland) is a colourist and figurative painter whose practice centers on female portraits. Her background as an animator and matte painter in Warsaw — where she designed stories, sets, and digital backgrounds for documentaries — continues to shape her approach to painting. She carries into her canvases the same sense of narrative structure and visual storytelling, translating event-like single frames into painterly form.
In her painting process, she strives for inconspicuous beauty of her models and life itself. She draws incessantly inspiration from great works of David Hockney, Edward Hopper, and Claude Monet. What she finds mesmerizing in their works are the affirmation of life (Hockney), contemplative silence (Hopper), and vibrant colours (Monet). Putting specific details allows her to build an intimate dialogue with the viewer, make the composition ambiguous, disturb the balance, and defy expectations.
The area of her research includes women of different ages, with a wide range of aspirations and experiences, but the unifying factor is their strength, importance, meaning, and freedom. Her intention is to provide the viewer with aesthetic pleasure, which should evoke memories, give some kind of a soothing experience, and help enjoy daily activities and life.
Over the years, her style has clearly evolved — from dark, moody paintings, through compositions in an earthy palette, to vibrant, vivid colors. Painting has made her more aware of her sensitivity to light, atmosphere, and subtle shifts in perception. The process has shown her that this sensitivity is not a limitation, but a core part of who she is as an artist. The three paintings — ‘Conquest of Paradise’, ‘Through the Looking-Glass’, and ‘In the Bedroom’ — represent this turning point, resulting from both natural artistic evolution and internal transformations.
https://annasobkowiak.eu/
