A leader among a new generation of innovative European artists and recognized internationally for the lush optical cacophonies she orchestrates, Wiernik combines her experiences as a painter, photographer, and graphic artist to weave together portraits of offbeat modern “families”. Hinged on the notion that emotional connections are often formed through shared values and experiences, the subjects of each photograph are linked together through a visual-kinship of shared oddities and eccentricities rather than genealogical ties. The extravagant pattern and texture, both abundant and deliberate, simultaneously construct homogenous settings, suggesting the foreground and background have become continuations of each other, and render each subject distinctly visible within it’s kindred environment. Familiar yet eccentric, the baroque atmosphere of Wiernik’s works invite a nostalgic projection of personal narratives, causing the viewer to internalize each photograph’s framework while exalting one’s own memories into surreal mythology.Natalia Wiernik was invited to Paris to collaborate with Le Figaro Magazine. Wiernik has won numerous awards for her work, including the Sony World Photography Award; the PDN Photo Annual Award, New York City, New York; the International Photo Awards, Los Angeles, California; and the Paris Photography Prize. In 2011, the artist was chosen to represent Poland in the Künstlerhaus International Photography Contest in Munich, Germany. Wiernik is a recipient of national grants from Poland’s Ministry of Culture as well as the Ministry of Science & Higher Education, and is currently pursuing a PhD from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland.