The exhibition’s title refers to a plant species found in the very environment it destroys—the extreme, desert landscape of ancient Mesopotamia. In Greek, “halos” means salt, and “xylon” means wood. Haloxylon becomes a metaphor for existence at the intersection of life and death, where adaptation and transformation are the cornerstones of survival. In recent years, Edyta Hul has consistently chosen experimentation as the primary tool of her painting. She directs her exploration toward the processes of the emergence and disintegration of forms, evoking associations with geology, sedimentation, and the slow transformations of matter. In the exhibition “Haloxylon,” the artist sharpens the lens through which she observes the components of the living world to uncover what lies at the foundation of every being. The paintings presented in the exhibition are a field of action – a record of a process unfolding in real time. Their structure is built through repetitive, abstract, almost automatic drawing, which does not create form but sustains it. The loop, a reflection of the gesture, is the fundamental unit here.
An integral part of the exhibition is a sound installation by Agata Polak. Its source material is a recording of the artist’s bioelectrical activity while working on rhythmic drawings, transformed into a sound composition. The sound reveals the physiological dimension of the creative process, functioning simultaneously as a record of it. The image opening the exhibition takes the form of a map of a process that usually remains invisible. Each subsequent image represents a momentary condensation – the moment a form emerges from a system that immediately disperses it once again. It depends on the viewer’s attentiveness whether they will succeed in – even if only for a moment – capturing that form and recording it in the collection of their experiences. The ornament emerges locally, like scaffolding supporting the circulation of life energy. It alludes to the Assyrian Tree of Life, interpreted not as an image of a plant but as a structure organizing the cosmic order and the ceaseless cycle of life. Here, however, its role is reversed. Instead of stabilizing, the ornament reveals the tension and fragility of the system, its constant susceptibility to disintegration. “Haloxylon” emerges at a time when systems – biological, social, and technological—are operating in a state of permanent overload. In this context, the image is not a representation but a test. It examines how much instability a form can sustain before it disintegrates.
The Rusiecki Palace, a historic residence dating from 1912, is tucked away deep within the courtyard at 13 Lwowska Street. Its owner—Stanisław Ursyn-Rusiecki (1862–1944), was a collector of paintings, glassware, and rare books—at its peak, his collection numbered approximately 3,500 items. He donated a significant portion of it to Polish museums and libraries to protect it from the turmoil of war. The palace itself was conceived as a private museum. The building was most likely designed by Józef Napoleon Czerwiński in an eclectic style that incorporates elements of Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo, as well as influences from Art Nouveau and Modernism. Stanisław Ursyn-Rusiecki was a member of the Society for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, a pioneering organization that played a major role not only in saving historical monuments but also in popularizing knowledge about them. The mansion was bequeathed in the owner’s will to the Academy of Arts and Sciences; for several years it was used by the Polish Academy of Sciences, and subsequently by the Federation of Trade Unions of Culture and Art Workers.
EDYTA HUL
Born in 1986 in Dobre Miasto, she lives and works in Warsaw. She graduated from the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk (2012). Her paintings draw on the forms of nature while moving toward abstraction—by combining oil paints with industrial enamels, the artist achieves an intriguing effect of visual depth and density. Winner of the Grand Prix at the 46th “Bielska Jesień” Painting Biennial in 2023. The artist is represented by Piękna Gallery.
The exhibition will be open from September 17 to October 20, Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Lwowska 13, entrance to the courtyard. Admission is free.
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Photos by Olga Urbanek and Adam Gut
