We know a winner for the Grafikwerkstatt residency

The jury’s decision for the May selection of the residency in Dresden is in. This fall, Modesta Gorol will be working at Grafikwerkstatt Studio. Congratulations!

The artistic residency at Grafikwerkstatt Studio in Dresden is an initiative that the City of Wrocław has been running in collaboration with its partner city Dresden for eight years. This program is designed for artists specializing in printmaking, providing them with a unique opportunity to work in one of the largest and oldest graphic studios in Europe. Over the years, artists such as Anna Chlebowska, Maja Dokudowicz, Natalia Tarnawa, Katarzyna Roman, Dominika Ziober-Król, Beata Filipowicz, Vinicius Libardoni, and more recently, Ioannis Anastasiou, who completed his residency between September and October 2023, have participated in this exchange.

Who is Modesta Gorol?

Modesta Gorol is an artist who delves into the theme of ambiguity using visual narrative and metaphor. Her works are graphic tales of imagined worlds, featuring anthropomorphizations and hybrids of plants and animals. The characters in her narratives are placed in various contexts, with their actions taking on symbolic meanings. “In creating, I am inspired by nature, but my artistic decisions are not constrained by reality,” she explains.

Modesta’s works have been exhibited internationally, including “300 km to connect Wrocław with Tokyo / あるテキストからの創造” (Wrocław and Tokyo, 2023), “Stand with Ukraine – Graphics from Wrocław” at the Palace of Art (Lviv, 2022), the 3rd International Student Drawing Triennial (Katowice, 2020), and the International RYSOWAĆ Exhibition (Toruń, 2019). She primarily employs traditional techniques such as etching, aquatint, and linocut, sometimes blending them with watercolor painting.

During her residency in Dresden, Modesta plans to explore narrative and metaphor, drawing inspiration from the rich natural and cultural heritage of the city.

“My inspiration will come from the collections of the Ethnographic Museum and the Botanical Gardens. These collections of non-European art, along with plants from various climate zones of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, will allow me to tell stories that originate from the residency location, yet extend far beyond its boundaries. Thus, I embark on an intriguing journey into the depths of human, animal, and plant nature.” – Modesta reveals.

Detailed information about the selection results is available on the City of Wrocław’s website.

Organizers and Partners

The residency is the result of a collaboration between the partner cities: Wrocław and Dresden. The exchange partners include Grafikwerkstatt in Dresden, Wrocław Institute of Culture, Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Wrocław City Gallery, and the Engraver’s House.