Marta Szymanowska in Tartu

The first route within the Retreat Art Routes connects Poland, Estonia and Japan. In July and August, Polish artist Marta Szymanowska is taking part in a residency in Estonia. After a rest in Massiaru, she will move to Tartu, where she will continue working on a photographic project inspired by Carl Gustav Jung’s archetypes.

I plan to spend the first part of the residency ‘practising looking’ and creating a visual diary of the journey. The silence, tranquillity and beauty of the Estonian landscape provide the perfect backdrop for the creative process. The escape from the problems of everyday life and the technological detox also create the ideal conditions for learning attentiveness and allowing us to focus on the individual elements of the surrounding nature.

During the second part of my residency in Estonia, I intend to continue working on a self-therapeutic project in which I am trying to find my ‘animus’, or masculine inner aspect. Carl Gustav Jung described the ‘animus’ as the archetypal idea of masculine energy, qualities and potential that are present in every woman’s psyche. Through self-knowledge, introspection and reflection, a woman can gain a greater awareness of her ‘animus’ and integrate it into her identity. Jung believed that achieving this integration allows one to achieve psychological balance and fosters personal growth, thus enabling independence in one’s relationship with a man.

I also hope that the encounter with a different culture, as well as the exchange of experiences and insights with local male and female artists will help me broaden my perspective and become a source of inspiration.

Marta Szymanowska

Marta Szymanowska’s residency takes place in two stages from 12-24.07 (Massiaru) and then 24.07-22.08 (Tartu). The curator supporting the development of the artist’s project is Stella Mõttus.

Marta Szymanowska, photographer, interior designer and architect from Wrocław. In her creative activity, she takes up the subject of human emotionality, treating photography as a form of self-therapy and a path to self-development. She is fascinated by the human body, which is both a link and a barrier between the inner and outer worlds. Marta moves mainly in the area of symbolism and sensibility. Her works have been shown in group exhibitions in Poland, Belgium, Czechia and Slovakia. In 2021, her series ‘Hydra’ was presented during a solo exhibition at the gallery Miejsce przy Miejscu 14 in Wrocław and was honoured in the Talent of the Year competition of the Pix.house foundation.

Stella Mõttus works incontemporary art, art education for children and adults and community involvement. She studies art history at the University of Tartu and is programme manager and producer at Kogo Gallery. She is interested in art institutions, also outside the Estonian capital. Working in various galleries and museums (a state museum and a self-initiated non-profit gallery), in addition to curating exhibitions, project management, administrative and marketing work, she has been involved in building participation of local residents and initiating activities aimed at them.

Marta Szymanowska’s residency in Estonia was supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute’s programme Polish Culture Around the World. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tallinn is also a supporting partner of this residency. 

Route for female photographers