Martyna Benedyka
Martyna Benedyka is a contemporary Polish artist, born in 1991, known for her multidisciplinary approach as a visual and sound artist, painter, photographer, coloratura soprano, and teacher. Her artistic practice spans a wide range of media, including painting, photography, collage, installation, video, field recording, and sound art, with a focus on themes of existence, memory, and beauty.
She holds a First Class BA with Honours Degree in Fine Art Painting from Gray’s School of Art in Scotland, UK, and has studied Voice and Performance, Opera and Oratorio, Pedagogy, and Baroque Singing at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and the George Enescu National University of Arts. Benedyka's work has been exhibited internationally in countries such as the UK, Italy, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Estonia, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, and the USA. Her work was selected for the Federation of British Artists' Futures, the UK's largest annual survey of emerging contemporary figurative art at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2022, she was recognized as a winner by Futures Photography in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Benedyka's artistic approach is rooted in the exploration of existence and perception. She often paints fragments of objects, suggesting that partial depictions can express as much, if not more, than a complete image. She likens the unique quality of photographic prints, where no two are identical, to her painting process, emphasizing the fragility and uncertainty of memory. Her paintings, modest in scale and subject, aim to capture fleeting moments of distorted reality, transforming memories through painted surfaces.
Through her work, Benedyka examines the essence of people and objects, using the camera as a bridge between detailed representation and personal interpretation. Her artworks function as poetic fragments, encouraging viewers to slow down and appreciate the beauty of everyday life. Her process involves cumulative observation, leading to some motifs being endlessly repeated while others fade away. This diversity reflects her central artistic goal: to explore what lies beyond the visible, inviting a deeper engagement with the world around us.
Discover contemporary artworks by Martyna Benedyka, browse recent artworks and buy online. Categories: contemporary french artists. Artistic domains: Painting, Photography. Account type: Artist , member since 2021 (Country of origin Poland). Buy Martyna Benedyka's latest works on ArtMajeur: Discover great art by contemporary artist Martyna Benedyka. Browse artworks, buy original art or high end prints.
Artist Value, Biography, Artist's studio:
The Mother’s Diary • 1 artwork
View allOpen Your Eyes - On The Border • 5 artworks
View allKintsugi • 2 artworks
View allAfter my recent surgeries, I thought of the concept of kintsugi as a perfect technique to mend my body and soul and overcome the feeling of loss. This work allowed me to accept my precious scars which I was left with and treat each of them as a unique break that soon would be filled.
The images correspond with each other in a similar way to our body and being. It is a never-ending conversation: light – dark, day – night, shapes, lines, dots and spots, deep breaths, in and out, like the curtain and the wind.
Revolving around the topic of the human body and mind, Kintsugi is a black and white photography journey through the process of healing and searching for the essence of resilience.
The Beautiful Within The Sublime • 4 artworks
View allby Martyna Benedyka
If black and white blend, soften, and unite
A thousand ways, is there no black and white?
Alexander Pope [1]
I have always been fascinated by the fact that we can never fully comprehend the magnitude of the gigantic monuments, landscapes, or creatures due to their size or beauty, let alone the vastness of the universe. This inability to judge and sometimes to separate beauty and an almost malevolent, yet elegant, sublime and its infinity, inspired me to explore the two types of aesthetic experience in response to painting.
The origins of the word sublime, which comes from the Old French limite (a boundary) and the Latin sublimis (lofty, eminent, distinguished), paint an intriguing picture of how the sublime [das Erhabene] became a boundless form, a phenomenon revealing our powerlessness in determining any limits to what we encounter.
In his philosophical treatise The Critique of Judgment, German philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that beauty and sublimity must coexist in art. This contrasts with Irish thinker Edmund Burke who said that sublime and beautiful are mutually exclusive. They then agreed that the sublime is monumental and simple, while the beautiful must usually be small and ornate. However, unlike Kant, Burke argued that the sublime is the most powerful physical experience, rooted in the senses rather than the power of reason.
When speaking of beauty, Kant saw it as purposiveness without purpose [Zweckmäßigkeit ohne Zweck]. What is surprising is how the philosopher claims that beautiful objects have certain (splendid) visual properties, such as symmetry, and should therefore be seen as having a purpose, albeit one that is not specific. The sublime, on the other hand, is what he describes as chaotic and unstructured, something that frightens us, that is actually purposeless. It follows that he expands on Burke’s concept that beauty is a pure and refined quality, similar to a very smooth and fragile object, whereas the sublime remains dark and terrifying.
Whereas the beautiful is limited, the sublime is limitless, so that the mind in the presence of the sublime, attempting to imagine what it cannot, has pain in the failure but pleasure in contemplating the immensity of the attempt.
Immanuel Kant [2]
The sublime in Kant's perception is found in formless, suprasensory and infinite objects, in which we find both pain and pleasure. The shape of the object we observe can seem pleasurable, evoking thoughts of purity and harmony, as well as what the philosopher himself called negative pleasure (pleasure which is possible only by means of a displeasure [3]).
Burke, in turn, separated the two, pointing out that beauty can only result from pleasure, whereas pain must originate from the sublime. However, he believed that in specific circumstances, perhaps when overwhelmed by the infinite, we are able to feel a delightful horror akin to joy.
When danger or pain press too nearly, they are incapable of giving any delight, and are simply terrible; but at certain distances, and with certain modifications, they may be, and they are, delightful, as we every day experience.
Edmund Burke [4]
In the context of infinity and eternity, pleasure, pain and even death, the Rorschach mirror effect comes to mind. This test, developed by Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Hermann Rorschach, is used by psychologists to test personality traits. Test participants are shown a series of inkblots that reflect shapes and objects in order to reveal a deeper sense of the most poignant or distressing memories.
Here I have used this concept to contemplate unusual idiosyncrasies, similar to experiencing the (subjective) beauty in the sublime. The perspective can shift in an instant, connecting to very personal, often vulnerable, fragments of life amidst the realm of imagination and the realm of the mind, amidst the beautiful and the horrific.
Beauty is present in the mixture of predictable and chaotic situations, occasionally tense but shielded from potential danger. I often avoid acknowledging that it has a limited form due to its structure. Diversity, uniformity, and imperfection must all be present within its confines.
Immersing myself in the sensory experiences of beauty leads to the gradual breaking down of those feelings as the sublime is triggered. Investigating their boundaries to understand how they relate to painting under the Kantian and Burkean philosophies can be likened to painting passionately at times, a sensation that is both unsettling and breathtaking, attempting to reduce terror in search of the ideal sublime. It is irrefutable that the combination of imperfect beauty and perfect sublimity can evoke profound and mysterious inner experiences.
Certain paintings may appear weighty and emit a sense of dullness. Nevertheless, by including intricate elements, they draw the viewer into a space characterized by a balanced blend of beauty and the sublime. Just like philosophy, painting does not provide definite answers, if it provides any at all, and that aspect intrigues me.
The act of painting transforms into an eternal ritual, a private universe that can be as overwhelming as the awe-inspiring monumental landscapes. Trying to adorn and outline the immensity may result in futility.
In these intimately scaled paintings, I feel compelled to reinterpret both philosophical ideas, almost deconstructing the aesthetics to reflect on the perception of harmony and chaos, without losing focus.
In the greatness and obscurity of things, I concentrate on the power of a sole picture or memory until it becomes a hallucinatory scene, similar to silently gazing at a nonexistent ocean horizon, and I dwell on the beautiful in the sublime.
Text: Martyna Benedyka
In Memory Of My Feelings • 3 artworks
View allThe Sublime • 12 artworks
View all(1757)
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful
Edmund Burke
The concept of the sublime in philosophical aesthetics and art history is mainly understood as the quality of greatness. Edmund Burke, an Irish-born philosopher, claimed that the sublime is the most powerful experience. He also argued that sublimity and beauty were mutually exclusive. Burke presented his theory that beautiful objects are small and delicate, while sublime ones are dark and terrifying.
Fascinated by this concept, I have chosen a series of different-sized paintings which touch on themes of monumentality as an aura of greatness, and little beauties in our lives that are inseparable from their fragility.
One of the sources of sublimity is infinity. Exploring the infinite, we experience a deeper, often unforgettable, sense of wonder. Here, the infinity is realized through cropped compositions, blackness, repetition, and the potential to evoke a mixture of emotions and feelings in the viewer.
According to Burke, beauty brings relaxation and sublimity brings tension. The paradox of the sublime arises when we find peace in the things that overwhelm us. Both captivate us, despite the dangers. I decided to express the sublime and the infinite, referring to the sense and power of the image in the real world. Depriving it of details, a rather enigmatic selection of paintings evoke notions of the sublime as an aesthetic experience and a monumental vision that strikes the viewer with power and raises the boundless question of whether the sublime in art can coexist with beauty.
(2023)
Martyna Benedyka
Martyna Benedyka
Oil on Canvas | 35.4x27.6 in
Latest Artworks • 31 artworks
View allSold Artworks • 14 artworks
Martyna Benedyka
Oil on Canvas | 35.4x27.6 in
Recognition
The artist has won prizes and awards
The artist studied the arts through his academic studies
The artist's works have been noticed by the editorial staff
The artist participates in art shows and fairs
Biography
Martyna Benedyka is a contemporary Polish artist, born in 1991, known for her multidisciplinary approach as a visual and sound artist, painter, photographer, coloratura soprano, and teacher. Her artistic practice spans a wide range of media, including painting, photography, collage, installation, video, field recording, and sound art, with a focus on themes of existence, memory, and beauty.
She holds a First Class BA with Honours Degree in Fine Art Painting from Gray’s School of Art in Scotland, UK, and has studied Voice and Performance, Opera and Oratorio, Pedagogy, and Baroque Singing at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and the George Enescu National University of Arts. Benedyka's work has been exhibited internationally in countries such as the UK, Italy, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Estonia, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, and the USA. Her work was selected for the Federation of British Artists' Futures, the UK's largest annual survey of emerging contemporary figurative art at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2022, she was recognized as a winner by Futures Photography in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Benedyka's artistic approach is rooted in the exploration of existence and perception. She often paints fragments of objects, suggesting that partial depictions can express as much, if not more, than a complete image. She likens the unique quality of photographic prints, where no two are identical, to her painting process, emphasizing the fragility and uncertainty of memory. Her paintings, modest in scale and subject, aim to capture fleeting moments of distorted reality, transforming memories through painted surfaces.
Through her work, Benedyka examines the essence of people and objects, using the camera as a bridge between detailed representation and personal interpretation. Her artworks function as poetic fragments, encouraging viewers to slow down and appreciate the beauty of everyday life. Her process involves cumulative observation, leading to some motifs being endlessly repeated while others fade away. This diversity reflects her central artistic goal: to explore what lies beyond the visible, inviting a deeper engagement with the world around us.
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Nationality:
POLAND
- Date of birth : 1991
- Artistic domains:
- Groups: Contemporary Polish Artists

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All the latest news from contemporary artist Martyna Benedyka
You can now preorder my new Photobook!
https://shop.snap-collective.com/collections/coming-soon/products/the-killed-book-by-martyna-benedyka
Get Yours!
Preorders of my new book will start next week!
Happy to share that I’ll be publishing my book with the Snap Collective! 📚 Preorders will start next week—more details coming soon! Stay tuned! 👀
Anonymous Drawings
Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Mariannenplatz, Berlin-Sector Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Germania
You can now purchase my drawing "Aus Liebe" at the Kunstraum Kreuzburg/ Bethanien, Berlin, Germany as well as buy it online here:
https://www.anonyme-zeichner.de/en/drawings-2024/2

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Interpictorial, Duo Show
kunstraumarcade, Hauptstraße, Mödling, Austria de Jos, Austria
My Photobook "Kintsugi" now available
Dublin Castle, Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Available online:
https://www.thelibraryproject.ie/products/kintsugi-martyna-benedyka
and at Tsundoku Art Book Fair - PhotoIreland Festival
13-16 July 2023
10 AM - 5 PM
The Sublime Solo Show
Dan Hatmanu Gallery
Winner of DIPF 2022, South Korea
Donggang International Photo Festival South Korea
www.martynabenedyka.com
www.dgphotofestival.com
Martyna Benedyka: Double Portrait
Guest Artist Talks
March - April 2022
Visiting Artist at Confluence II - Online Artist Residency in collaboration with, inter alia, the i.e. Art Projects and the School of the Arts (SOTA), USM, Penang, Malaysia
In Memory Of My Feelings Solo Show
i.e. Art Projects
https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/9256834/in-memory-of-my-feelings
https://issuu.com/martynabenedyka/docs/in_memory_of_my_feelings-martyna_benedyka