
Joanna Lola Styrylska-Gałażyn
born 1980 Katowice, Poland
I live and work in Krakow.
Education / Awards:
Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Faculty of Graphics (2006)
Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Faculty of Painting – Art Pedagogy (2008)
Scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture and Art and the President of the City of Krakow.
Grand Prix Awards BWA Art Salon Tarnów (2009, 2011)
I am a painter and graphic artist. I paint, illustrate, design, and sometimes teach – sharing my knowledge and experience. I draw inspiration from nature and the relationship between humans and the natural world, elements of which I incorporate into both traditional paintings and digital projects. I have been painting for as long as I can remember, and my work has always focused on exploring color – its autonomy, intensity, and its ability to build space, light, and atmosphere. I feel a strong connection to the post-impressionist tradition of the Kapists.
I create intuitively, often from memory, translating aesthetic impressions into the language of art. My paintings are filled with contrasts, rhythms, multiplications, and associations – dense compositions of colors, forms, and textures that become mosaics of emotions and experiences. My body of work ranges from realism through surrealism to abstraction. Alongside painting, I also work in graphic design and illustration – I like combining diverse and contrasting forms, mixing traditional and digital techniques. My works exist both in the artistic field and in applied design – as patterns, illustrations, and elements of visual communication.
For many years, I have been guided by the idea of courage in color – which is also courage in art. It means rejecting calculation and embracing openness to creativity, passion, and continuous dialogue: with myself, with the viewer, with other creators, and with the space that I fill with my work.
This autumn, I am beginning a new chapter – Styrylska Koncept. It is an authorial gallery and the result of 25 years of artistic practice. I envision it as a space where the courage of color, form, and expression meets a contemporary perspective on art. It will be a place of ongoing growth, challenges, and exploration – a natural extension of my artistic path, a dialogue between tradition and modernity, humans and nature, image and word.
Collaborations
As an illustrator and graphic designer, I collaborate with private clients and publishing houses in Poland and abroad. My clients include:
ZOO Kraków, Wodociągi Kraków, KBF (Krakow Festival Office), Krakow Climate Education Center, City of Krakow, City of Niepołomice, Medicine – WEARMedicine – Grafika Polska, SZPEJE, Jagiellonian University Press, Wydawnictwo Śląsk, KEW Publishing, Librus Publishing, Ośrodek Kultury im. C.K. Norwida, Pracownia Dziedzictwa i Tożsamości Nowej Huty, Huta Sztuki Gallery, Nowohuckie Centrum Kultury, Fundacja Faktor Kultura, Fundacja Fundusz Partnerstwa, Akordeonus Records, Parlophone Records, Universal Music Polska, Polish Music Publishers, Wydawnictwo Wrażliwe, Wydawnictwo Kolegium Europy Wschodniej, MGMusic, Krakovia Produciones – Chile, Planeta Sostenible – Chile.
Selected Exhibitions of Painting and Illustration
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Solo exhibition “A Room of One’s Own”, Municipal Gallery MM, Chorzów, 2026
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Solo exhibition “Orbits and Forms – Family Graphic Arrangements”, Celina Styrylska & Joanna Styrylska, International Print Triennial Gallery, Kraków, 2025
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Solo exhibition “I See You – Portraits of Women Artists”, Hotel Indygo, Showroom Galeria Strefa A, Kraków, 2025
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Group exhibition “Community of Arts – Correspondance des Arts”, Jagiellonian Library UJ, ZPAP Kraków, 2025
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Solo exhibition “A Room of One’s Own”, Galeria Strefa, Showroom SztukaWina, Katowice, 2025
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Group exhibition, 2nd Tarnów Art Biennale, Centrum Sztuki Mościce, 2024
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Solo exhibition “The Silence of Plants”, ZPAP Gallery, Gliwice, 2024
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Group exhibition “Collage Art – Karol Frycz in Memoriam”, Regional Library, Kraków, 2024
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Solo exhibition “The Nature of Abstraction”, Kraków Culture Forum, 2024
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Group exhibition “105xNie”, Szyb Wilson Gallery, Katowice, 2024
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Group exhibition ZPAP Kraków Christmas Exhibition, Palace of Art, 2023
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Group exhibition “Mam marzenie”, Galeria Tlen, Warsaw, 2022
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Group exhibition “My Name is Joanna”, Kotłownia Gallery, Cracow University of Technology, 2022
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Solo exhibition “The Matter of Time”, Huta Sztuki Gallery, Kraków, 2020/21
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Group exhibition “Oko na Hutę” (Eye on Nowa Huta), Nowohuckie Centrum Kultury, Kraków, 2020
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Animation presentation “Lola in Motion”, Kijów Center, Kraków, 2018 (based on my paintings, with Motion Trio music)
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Solo and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad, including BWA Tarnów, ZPAP Galleries, Smart Gallery Kraków, Międzynarodowe Triennale Grafiki (International Print Triennial) in Kraków and Warsaw, Palace of Art Kraków, and others, 2008–2024.