Amanda: Your work is extremely multidimensional. Can you speak about how these boundaries (or boundaryless) between painter, dancer, performer, designer, publisher, etc. all work harmoniously?
Paulina: I work on the idea first and then a working method, for example when I work on restoring old Communist neons, I was working with sculpture collage and neon, when I wanted to refer to historical avant-garde and Modernists it seems right to quote it as a live performance. For another example, the Alphabet Performance, when I work with education and social events fanzines, magazines, and booklets seems to be a good idea for proposals. Overall I love painting - it is my main form of mediation to travel to unknown parts of me and what is around me.
Amanda: I know collaborations have been an integral part of your style. When we became friends I was impressed by how free you were to invite artists, friends, lovers, and the audience to all become a part of your “tribe” to provide a symbiotic environment of creativity. I know this also borders along the lines of the concept of Utopia. Are you interested in Utopia? (particularly in these times I think we need it!)
Paulina: When in 2000, I met my first reviewer and curator for my work in Lisbon, Sarah Crowner (also our mutual friend!) we talked about the idea around my films and works titled utopic optimism. I do strongly believe that to make things change we need each other, the genius loco artist is overrated. For me being an artist is being super sensitive to things around, to people, and being humble also helps because one can learn. Because of these origins, my latest utopia to become true is to run a foundation in the countryside for artists as a meeting place and exchange of ideas.
Amanda: What is the latest dream that you can remember?
Paulina: Actually I am working on writing my dreams down. I keep a visual and written diary, since I do that my dreams started to be more vivid, real. One of the dreams of deep dreaming Prof. Bonnie Buckner says that actually in dreams there are your hidden desires, I actually dreamt of visiting New York, each year I come for a month or two to the United States, either Miami, NYC or LA. I would love to be there with you now, in my dreams I am.
A sneak peek of Pavilionesque for our readers: here
Thank you Paulina!
Paulina Olowska, selections from the Craig Robins Collection is on view until November 15
Palm Court, 140 NE 39th Street, Suite 102
