Alicja Brodowicz

Alicja Brodowicz:

Alicja Brodowicz was born in Krakow, Poland, she went on to graduate from the Faculty of English Literature at Universiteit Utrecht in The Netherlands. Originally becoming a translator Alicja then went on to pursue photography, training at the Silesian University in Opava, Czech Republic. She has received several awards for her photography from across eastern Europe.

Her style is mostly based on the formal elements of photography. Organic form, value and texture are all huge focuses of her work. My favourite of her work is the series entitled Visual Exercises. A Series of Diptychs (2018). In these pieces she has taken photos of aspects of the body alongside pieces of nature, looking into the comparison of both. She has delved into the way that anatomy mimics nature and vice versa.

Image Analysis

This piece is from the series Visual Exercises. A Series of Diptychs (2018). It includes two images shown here side by side, one a harsh close up of a person’s spine the other an equally harsh thorny branch. The aim of the two photos used in comparison is to show the brutality of the human body and how we are tied to nature in that way. The spine one the right is so harsh that it makes me feel uncomfortable to look at it , although it is not likely painful it creates an unnerving visceral reaction. On the other hand, the thorn if touched does create real physical pain, the plant has naturally evolved to protect itself in this way. Both these images being in black and white allows us to focus on the organic form and texture rather than being distracted by colour. The slope of the shoulder in the right photo bordering dark space may have been done on purpose by Brodowicz, it allows for a severe contrast in depth that adds something further to the image. I do like this piece although it is unsettling, in fact I think that is why it is so effective. I definitely aim to create something that has a similar reaction from a viewer.