Martyna Benedyka
Whale, 2024
Oil on linen
41 x 27 cm
Unique Works
Frame not included
Signature: Lower right corner
The concept of the sublime in philosophical aesthetics and art history is mainly understood as the quality of greatness. Edmund Burke, an Irish-born philosopher, claimed that the sublime is the most powerful experience. He also argued that sublimity and beauty were mutually exclusive. Burke presented his theory that beautiful objects are small and delicate, while sublime ones are dark and terrifying. Fascinated by this concept, I have chosen a series of different-sized paintings which touch on themes of monumentality as an aura of greatness, and little beauties in our lives that are inseparable from their fragility. One of the sources of sublimity is infinity. Exploring the infinite, we experience a deeper, often unforgettable, sense of wonder. Here, the infinity is realized through cropped compositions, blackness, repetition, and the potential to evoke a mixture of emotions and feelings in the viewer. According to Burke, beauty brings relaxation and sublimity brings tension. The paradox of the sublime arises when we find peace in the things that overwhelm us. Both captivate us, despite the dangers. I decided to express the sublime and the infinite, referring to the sense and power of the image in the real world. Depriving it of details, a rather enigmatic selection of paintings evoke notions of the sublime as an aesthetic experience and a monumental vision that strikes the viewer with power and raises the boundless question of whether the sublime in art can coexist with beauty.
Martyna Benedyka
France, b. 1991
Martyna Benedyka (b. 1991, Poland) is a multidisciplinary visual and performing artist and classically trained coloratura soprano, working with image, voice, and sound. Drawing from a rich cultural and linguistic background, she creates across English, German, French, Italian, Romanian, and Japanese. Working across painting, drawing, photography, textile work, collage, installation, and sound, she focuses on the instability of memory - both personal and collective - while exploring how these moments affect our sense of identity and our experience of beauty. She studied Art and Design at the Gray’s School of Art in Scotland, UK, graduating with a First Class BA (Hons) in Fine Art Painting; Classical Singing (Opera, Lied, Oratorio) and Music Pedagogy at the George Enescu National University of Arts; and Baroque Singing at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. She has exhibited in the UK, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Iceland, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, and the USA. She is a member of Futures Photography, The Netherlands and Art Contemporain en Bretagne, France, among others.