Katarzyna KOT (b. 2001), Breath Beyond the World, 2025

acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm, signed lower right: K. Kot

Born in 2001. A graduate of the Faculty of Painting at the Pedagogical University of Kraków, where she studied under Prof. Romuald Oramus, Prof. Piotr Jargusz, and Prof. Cecylia Malik, among others. She has participated in numerous exhibitions and symposia, and her paintings are held in private collections in Poland and abroad. The artist’s work centers on depictions of animals, surrealistic figures, and landscapes, often enriched with elements of abstraction. Cats hold a special place in her paintings; they have always been present in her art and today symbolize independence, solitude, and the ambiguous relationship between humans and the world. Paradoxically, the artist’s surname—Kot—has become her trademark and a playful signature that complements the meaning of her paintings.

"Today, the cats are returning, this time in a series of paintings. Each one is a different version of the same story about loneliness, independence, the need for connection, and the simultaneous fear of it. Sometimes sleeping, sometimes mesmerizing, and sometimes gazing at the viewer with ironic reserve, these cats are a reflection of myself—my fears, hopes, and longings. Sometimes I feel that I’m not so much painting them as allowing them to reveal themselves through me. The funniest thing about all this is that, with the last name “Kot” (Cat), I don’t even have to sign my name. These paintings are simply mine. In class, we were told that an artist always leaves a part of themselves in their work. I don’t leave a part of myself—I leave the whole Kot."