Congratulations, Beata, on your latest exhibition in a London luxury setting! Do tell us what we can expect to see there.
In an atmosphere of style and sophistication, visitors will be able to contemplate a cavalcade of some of my recent and just completed works. The paintings are strongly figurative but have been described as virtuoso depictions of the spiritual relationship of humankind to the horse. You can sense in them the inner strength and the fine structure of these graceful animals which have served and inspired humanity for thousands of years. Many people try to capture this essence and elegance by means of photos or videos, but that cannot be truly achieved. The tenderness that I hope emerges through my love of horses and my personal integration into the artworks is designed to connect directly with the viewer and any potential owner of these pictures.
What are you seeking to convey in this SHE HORSE series, which is the core of your artistic output?
My thoughts on this theme of the beauty of the horse are evident immediately, but I want those who hang these pictures on the walls in their home to reflect on them as time goes by and to tease out insights into our relationship with this noble animal. I have produced dream-like pictorial scenarios evoking mystic connections and believe there is nothing quite like them elsewhere in contemporary or in classical art. Creating these works leads to ever-new possibilities for my paintbrush.
You are clearly a woman of strong character. Would you say that it is the woman or the horse that dominates the pictures in which your identity appears?
There is a fine balance in my art between the two, and because the iconography is so naturalistic, the viewer might decide for himself or herself the role of the motifs seen together. The ancient Greeks at an early stage set off a revolution in statuary that brought ‘life’ to man and beast that they portrayed and recognised their interrelatedness. Female centaurs called centaurides date from the 4th century BC. I hope I am putting this synergy on the 21st century map in new and unexpected ways.
What have you learned from your experiences of responding to the powerful image of the horse? How did this compelling attachment develop?
My passion for horses began when I was taught to ride as a seven-year-old child in the east of Poland, where I was born. A family friend who was a distinguished painter inspired me to take up painting equine themes. Pursuing this line of art has been hugely rewarding for me, but I know how important it is to engage with audiences. I learn so much from their reactions to what is on the canvas. That is why I like to get out and about and meet previous followers and people viewing my works for the first time, and there is no doubt about it: showing my paintings in a refined atmosphere adds to people’s feeling that they are standing in front of remarkable visions of the purity of the horse.
Beata Korabiowska is exhibiting her collection SHE HORSE at Nolita Social, Bulgari Hotel, Knightsbridge, on Thursday May 5, 2022,from 11am to 7pm.
