Acid Pond

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: Open Bite (2022–) 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 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 bronze 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) is a multidisciplinary and multimedia artist based between Poland, the Netherlands, and the UK. In her practice, she experiments with scale and materials, creating works that range from large-scale murals and sculpture to painting and praphics. Biała uses toxic mining waste as an active agent. Biała is a graduate of The Royal Drawing School and The Royal College of Art, in London (UK).