In her most recent projects, Alicja Biała addresses the anxiety associated with human domination over the natural environment. Her exhibition, part of a series of solo presentations by artists from the MOCAK Collection, includes two series of works: Expulsion from Paradise (2022–2023) and Hyperaccumulators (2024). The former are curtains made from copper and zinc, from ores mined in several mines in England, Germany, Poland and Wales. The artist applies life-size representations of Adam and Eve to the metal sheets, which she subjects to acidic water by immersing them in mining ponds. The metal curtains are etched by the acid, leaving intact the fragments protected by varnish.

The biblical motif of expulsion from Paradise alludes to representations from old masters –paintings by Cranach, Dürer and Rembrandt. Submerged in toxic water, Eve and Adam become a symbol of poisoning the environment. The artist compares the destruction of  nature by humankind to becoming alienated from Paradise: ‘We had been given the Garden of Eden, but we have banished ourselves from it’.

The second series presented, Hyperaccumulators, are sculptural representations of nettles, which belong to a group of several hundred species of hyperaccumulating plants, which draw heavy metals from the soil or water. Planting such species is one method of cleaning up contaminated post-industrial sites. The copper sculptures have become a monument to nature, highlighting its ability to self-regulate and the part it plays in mitigating the effects of human impact on the environment.

Alicja Biała (b. 1993) – illustrator, graphic designer, visual artist. Graduate of VIA University College, Central Denmark, Copenhagen School of Design and Technology (KEA) in Copenhagen, and the Royal College of Art in London. Author of the murals Cykliści (Cyclists, 2016, Warsaw), Widows and Widowers (2016, Águeda), Mexico Dances (2017, Mexico) and Unknown (2017, Kassel).