“I came to Spain in the winter –  I had departed from snowy and frosty Cracow and landed in Malaga where weather was completely different: warm evenings, palm trees and humid sea air. The following day I travelled to Vélez Rubio. From the bus window I could see the landscape of Sierra Nevada mountains and small Andalusian cities. In the late evening I finally arrived to Sierra de María-Los Vélez on a small dirt road among pines, rocky hills and blooming almond orchards. 

The Joya’s AiR house is beautifully located on a hill. There are beautiful sunsets, sky is clear and slowly turning from blue, yellow, pink to dark indigo. I divided my daytime between walking through natural park Sierra de María-Los Vélez and working in the studio on series of small paintings devoted to the idea of multiverse. 

Joya AiR is a place, where air is incredibly clear, there is no light pollution – the nearest small town is 12 km from the residency. During the night time there are breathtaking view of stars, the sky is full of stars which I had not experienced for a long time. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a place with clear night sky visibility. I was looking at the starry night sky and taking photos every evening. The view of numerous stars was breathtaking –  the space seemed to be so close that one could feel as being part of the cosmos.

I was taking my artwork, which I made shortly before residency, for my walks. I was taking photos of it in natural surroundings. The surface of the object multiplicates the view. I combined the surface of the object with natural materials, such as ground, branches or pine needles. 

The surroundings of Joya: AiR are beautiful, there are mountains, pine forests, meadows and almond orchards. Walking through a silent, natural park was a beautiful experience – sun, forest, orchards and mountains around. There was a house nearby, where sheep lived. 

At the residency I found calmness for artistic work and a rest from the hustle and bustle of the world. I was fully living in this place then and there, immersed in idyllic atmosphere.  

Now, at the times of global quarantine, I can hardly believe that I had an opportunity to stay at Joya: AiR. Remembrances from Sierra de Maria-Los Velez seem to come from another world”. 

Hanna Rozpara

Hanna Rozpara is an artist based in Sosnowiec, Poland. In 2014 she graduated her master degree at  Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. In 2011-2012 she studied in Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen. In 2009-2013 she studied history of art at Silesian University. Now she studies at doctoral studies at Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. She operates in many areas of art, made her works in many printmaking techniques, painting, intermedia art, site specific, and photography. She is also a music producent, creating mainly drone and ambient soundscapes. Some of her artistic realizations may be defined as ‘gesamtkunstwerk’.  Her works are about broadly understood topic of camouflage, formlessness and chaotic phenomena. The newest works refer to substance as carriers of ideas, post-apocalypse and philosophy. Some of her older works were devoted to the theme of war. 

Hanna Rozpara on Instagram