ARTIST STATEMENT
"I consider my paintings portals into liminal realms beyond our physical world. I reference mindfulness philosophy, neural networks, elements from nature, musical harmony, ancient architecture, and theories about the interconnectedness of the universe to elicit energized abstractions and meditative pseudo-landscapes.First, I establish the conditions all-over the canvas, utilizing the natural movement of my body to create a foundation for the painting, which I consider a “sacred scaffolding”. I then dive into the composition and attempt to resolve the chaos. I hope to make paintings that seem alive—at one glance still, at another moving—with forms coming together and breaking apart, seemingly at the same time. The painting process, highly energized and kinetic, is integral to the meaning of the work—a balance of guiding the paint, adding and subtracting, and trusting my materials and the energy flowing through me—allowing for beautiful accidents to occur.
A theme that has driven my work for many years is a fascination with dualities: harmony vs. chaos, dark vs. light, density vs. breathing space, geometric forms vs. fluid gestures, thick impasto vs. thin washes, and the coexistence of these opposing forces as a metaphor for the endurance and adaptability of the human spirit: hope amid despair, peace amid conflict, etc. While painting, I am searching for the sublime, for a sense of fullness, contemplating the whole of life experience and the necessary coexistence of opposites, without each we wouldn’t recognize the other. Making paintings is more than creating a physical object. Through my paintings, I explore the uncharted territory between active and passive, thought and intuition. Paint decisions are rooted in a combination of color theory and intuition, as I believe deeply in the visceral and transformational impact of color. Painting allows for constant exploration into a liminal realm, each painting a snapshot of a millisecond eternity.
Ultimately, paintings are my version of prayer, a moving meditation. I intend to create a powerful resonance on canvas, a felt, sacred space—one that encourages contemplation, inspiration, and a deep sense of presence in the viewer."
BIOGRAPHY
Natalia Wróbel is an artist currently based in Santa Fe, NM, after spending years in Boston and Amsterdam. Originally from La Jolla, CA, Wrobel studied Studio Art and Art History at Dartmouth College. She furthered her study at the Lorenzo de'Medici Institute in Florence and the New York Studio School. She received the New York Studio School Mercedes Matter Fellowship in 2012, and the Murray Art Prize in 2015. In 2016, her painting was selected for inclusion at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston Auction. In 2017, Wrobel completed a painting residency at the Berlin Art Institute, and her work was selected for inclusion in the MassArts auction. Her work has been featured at international art fairs including Art Basel: Miami, Texas Contemporary, and Art SouthHampton and has been an official selection at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and MassArt Auction. Her paintings have been featured in books and publications in the US and Europe, in coursework at MIT, and are included in private collections around the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia.
CV
Education:
2011 Dartmouth College, B.A. with Honors- Studio Art and Art History
2012 New York Studio School Independent Atelier
2009 Lorenzo de' Medici Art Institute, Florence, ItalyExhibitions/Art Fairs:
2020 Chashama: 151 West 42nd, New York City, NY (solo)
2019 The Salon Show, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
2019 Picnic, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
2019 MM.LaFleur, San Francisco and Boston
2018 International Modern Art Exhibition, Gallery Harang, South Korea
2018 Natalia Wrobel:Odyssey, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA (solo)
2018 Night Swimming, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
2018 Art Spring: BAI Fellows, Berlin, Germany
2018 The Salon Show, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
2017 Natural Bridge, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA (duo)
2016 The Salon Show, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
2016 Polonijny Dzien Dwujezycznosci, Boston, MA
2016 Liminal Drift, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA (duo)
2015 Summer Salon, Madison Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2015 Portals to Kairos, Esther and John Clay Gallery, Cheyenne, WY (solo)
2013 Natalia Wrobel: Sun Walk, The Strand, La Jolla CA (solo)
2013 Art Basel: Miami, Miami, FL
2013 Texas Contemporary, Houston, TX
2013 Art South Hampton, New York
2013 Birnam Wood/ Galleries, East Hampton, NY
2012 October Ball at MoMA, New York, NY (solo)
2012 Project Primer, New York, NY
2012 Independent Atelier Exhibition, New York Studio School, New York, NY
2012 The Strand on Prospect, La Jolla, CA
2012 Black Visual Art Center, Hanover, NH
2012 Zimmerman Center, Hanover, NH
2012 Natalia Wrobel Paintings, Alexander Berardi, New York, NY (solo)
2012 Barrows Rotunda, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH (solo)
2011 Ava Gallery, Lebanon, NH
2011 AREA Gallery, Hanover, NH
2011 Jaffe-Friede Gallery, Hanover, NH
2011 TedX Conference, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NHTalks/Lectures/Courses:
2021 Dartmouth College, Visiting Lecturer
2019 Harvard Business School Art Society, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery
2019 AI: Deep Learning for Arts, Aesthetics, and Creativity, MIT Computer Science Department
2016 Women of Dartmouth, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
2015 Museum Fine Arts Boston, MFA Council Artist Talk
2015 Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, WY
2015 The Evans School, La Jolla, CAPublications/Press:
2019 Luminaries, by Rowan Williams, SPCK Publishing, UK
2018 Masada, Visual Arts for the German EBR, by Ori Soltes
2018 Reading Beyond the Code: Literature and Relevance Theory, by Dr. Kathryn Banks, Oxford University Press,UK, May 2018
2018 House & Garden, UK
2018 InStyle Magazine, Poland
2018 Horst un Edeltraut Germany
2018 USA Art News
2018 We and the Color
2018 Powell Fine Art Advisory
2017 Cloud and Day
2017 Museum of Fine Arts Boston
2017 Mountain Living Magazine
2016 Dobra Polska Szkola, by Lidia Russell
2016 Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, by Puloma Ghosh
2015 Wingspan, by Charles Detheridge
2014 The Song Garden
2013 Artsy Forager, Synthesis of Complements
2012 Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, Alumni News Artist Spotlight
2012 The Dartmouth, "Wrobel’s Rotunda", Kunyi Li
2011 Chimaera: The Dartmouth Interdisciplinary Journal
2010 Aerial Perspectives: Grounded in an Infinite Landscape, Space for Dialogue,
Hood Museum of Art, Natalia Wrobel
2010 Kelsey, Elizabeth, Club Scene: Design for America, Dartmouth Engineer
MagazineAwards/Fellowships:
2020 Chashama Public Art Curated Selection, New York
2020 Auction Selection, MassArt Auction
2018 Auction Selection, MassArt Auction
2017 Artist Residency, Berlin Art Institute, Berlin, Germany
2016 Auction Selection, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
2015 Murray Art Series Endowed Lecture
2012 Mercedes Matter Painting Scholarship, NYSS
2011 Chimaera, The Dartmouth Interdisciplinary Journal: Fine Art Prize
2011 Wolfenden Fine Arts Prize
2011 Class of 1960 Purchase Award, Dartmouth College
2008 Mary and Ernest H. Earley 1918 Artistic and Academic ScholarshipTeaching/Professional:
2014 Special Instructor- Studio Art & Art History, Brandeis University
2011- 2012 Special Instructor- Studio Art, Dartmouth College
2010-2011 Curatorial Fellow, The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
2009-2011 Studio Assistant, Artist Kirby Kendrick