Izabela RO (pen name, b. 1976), Three Sisters IV, 2026

acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 cm, signed lower right: IRo.2026

Izabela Ro. is a Polish painter based in Silesia. She spent her childhood in Katowice and currently lives and works in Ruda Śląska. She works primarily in acrylic on canvas. Her path to painting led through theater and the arts in the broadest sense. She worked at the Gugalander Theater and the Gry i Ludzie Theater, and also collaborated with the White Clown Theater in Kyiv, the Katowice History Museum, and the Center for Polish Stage Design in Katowice. Her theatrical experience included both working in the theater and set design communities and performing in productions. Her contact with the stage, set design, and various fields of art allowed her, over the years, to gain knowledge, develop her visual sensibility, and gradually discover her own need for self-expression through painting. At the heart of her work is the woman—her face, emotions, strength, relationships, and inner world. The motif of twin sisters holds a special place. This is a theme of personal significance to the artist, who is herself a twin. Through this motif, she explores themes of similarity and difference, closeness, individuality, and the relationship between two people. Her painting is characterized by intense color, stylized figuration, geometric forms, and a distinct compositional structure. The artist consciously departs from realistic representation, simplifying and distorting the figure in favor of expression and her own visual language. Distinctive female faces, geometric hairstyles and headdresses, strong contours, contrasting planes of color, and plant, animal, and symbolic elements create the recognizable world of her paintings. Another important area of her work is abstract painting, in which she places particular emphasis on color. Her fascination with color leads her toward organic, fluid forms inspired by nature and its ceaseless movement. Shapes interpenetrate, overlap, and remain interdependent, creating dynamic structures that allude to biological forms and processes occurring in nature. In her abstract works, the artist allows color, rhythm, and form to coexist freely, creating a sense of flow, unity, and symbiosis. Her work evolves at the intersection of contemporary figurative painting, surrealism, and decorative art, incorporating elements of Pop Art and drawing inspiration from Art Deco aesthetics. However, the artist does not regard any particular movement or individual artist as a direct model. Her painterly language is shaped by the convergence of many different experiences and fascinations. Theater, opera, and film are also important sources of inspiration for her—their atmosphere, narrative, characters, set design, lighting, and the way they evoke emotions. At the same time, contemporary art remains an important source of inspiration for her.

She enjoys visiting galleries and museums, viewing her engagement with art as a space for observation, contemplation, and the constant expansion of her own sensibility.

Exhibitions and Projects

2024

“I Dreamed It” – solo exhibition, Szyb Wilson Gallery, Katowice.

2025

Design and production of the set for a children’s play by the Gry i Ludzie Theater.

2026

“Woman”—group exhibition, Center for Contemporary Art in Brzeg.

REMIX—a project by Kamil Jaczyński—group exhibitions presented in Warsaw, Poznań, and Wrocław.

27th “Everything and Nothing” High Art Festival—group exhibition, Bytom.

“Bytom nondum vidit!” / “Nondum” project—an interdisciplinary initiative by the Sztukoffnia Theater, combining painting, theater, and the spoken word.