Helena Minginowicz discovered drawing and painting as a form of expression while growing up in the city of Poznan, Poland. Even today, she has ideas and thoughts that she feels much more comfortable displaying on a canvas than putting into words. One such idea helped her discover a most unusual canvas, the humble paper towel.
Photo: Helena Minginowicz
“Canvas is harder, it’s bigger, and much more impressive. In contrast, this paper napkin is like a joke, but we are something like this,” the Polish artist told We Present magazine. “We are trying to be canvases, but we are paper towels! It’s so touching to me that we still try to be immortal.”
Photo: Helena Minginowicz
Using layers of airbrushed acrylic, Helena paints Renaissance-style artworks on pieces of paper towels, focusing on both human characters and the symbolic meanings assigned to various animals (doves for peace, swans for beauty, etc.) to convey her thoughts to the beholder.
Photo: Helena Minginowicz
Using a fragile, highly absorbent canvas like the paper towel makes the painting process a difficult affair, but Helena Minginowicz likes to mainly free-hand it anyway. She only outlines her general design on the towel and proceeds to carefully airbrush the painting, adding elements as she goes along.
Photo: Helena Minginowicz
Colossal Magazine reports that Minginowicz is currently working toward a solo exhibition at Paris’ Galerie Prima, set to open on October 8th.
