CABINET OF PERSONALITIES

The Muzeum-Zamek Tarnowskich w Tarnobrzegu invites you to an exhibition of paintings by Kornelia Golińska / Erica Rea, “CABINET OF PERSONALITIES”.

Zamek Tarnowskich w Tarnobrzegu, ul. Sandomierska 27 The exhibition is open until 15 November 2026

Exhibition curator: Jakub Szewc

Kornelia Golińska Born in Tarnobrzeg, a visual artist and a qualified conservator of works of art, who combines both fields in her everyday practice. In her work she seeks her own truth about the real world and, guided by intuition, tries to capture what escapes logic. To express all of this, she uses a range of techniques and media: painting, drawing, collage, textile, computer graphics, assemblage.

Gabinet osobistości What is “Gabinet osobistości”? This whimsical wordplay refers to the early modern kunstkamera, the cabinets of curiosities. These were places where collectors gathered artworks, minerals, coins and optical instruments side by side. In the usually small space of the cabinet, they wished to contain a macrocosm, a world in a nutshell full of its wonders and oddities. In the case of Kornelia Golińska's exhibition, whose creative alter ego became Erica Rea, the Gothic cellars of the castle in Dzików became, for a time, a refuge (a temporary home) for selected works from the Artist's oeuvre.

The paintings, sketches, textiles and assemblages on display are a record of the path toward her own style. Kornelia/Erica's work is firmly rooted in the tradition of post-impressionist, fauvist and expressionist art. Her studies and conservation practice mean that the more or less conscious references to the achievements of her predecessors in the Artist's works are not mere imitation. Rather, they are a creative dialogue and a starting point for further exploration. The joy of creating and the inclination to experiment are visible in the multitude of techniques presented. This does not, however, disturb the coherent language of form or the sincerity of expression. Kornelia/Erica's ability to build a creative (un)reality, although largely based on the Artist's personal experiences, allows the viewer to immerse themselves in a universe in which objects brought to life by the power of imagination take on new, unobvious shapes. An idea sketched instinctively in the sketchbook evolves in the studio, often in an unexpected direction. Kornelia/Erica lets herself be guided by the subconscious, but always keeps the artistic dimension of the work in mind. Who are the “personalities” mentioned in the title of the exhibition? They are people from her closest surroundings: family, friends, but also objects such as antlers, a sideboard, a telephone, to which she gives agency by turning her attention to them. Captured in art, they are not merely portraits or still lifes. They rather resemble pages from a diary or odds and ends from the attic of memory. Tender deformation, biomorphism, a sense of unreality, and an attempt to capture in the open air an impression often lasting a fraction of a second: these are the main themes recurring in this exhibition. The meaning of the works nevertheless remains open to the interpretations of Viewers, inviting them to confront the works and assign them new meanings. In this way, Kornelia/Erica's works restore to art its original function as a path to catharsis, inner purification.

Jakub Szewc

Media patronage: TVL Telewizja Lokalna, Radio Leliwa, Tygodnik Nadwiślański

Exhibition partner: Dwór na Wichrowym Wzgórzu