Monotype on washi paper, 35 x 25 cm, 2015 r.
A monumental series inspired by the region’s volcanic landscape, also to be seen in the Dikambo series. Rożnowska has captured the peaks as seen from her window, and each window in a thoughtful way allowed the viewer to catch sight of the most beautiful views, especially the Aso volcano and the highest peak – Kujū.
From the European perspective, the volcano surprisingly affects the way of life of Japanese people, who are somehow accustomed to living with the fear of eruption and prepared for such a circumstance since childhood. The volcano in Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan, and one of the largest in the world, yet in its surroundings, a peaceful life goes on of people focused on their everyday errands, also the elderly. In Rożnowska’s series, the volcano both delights and lets us get to know it from various angles, in a way coquettishly giving the viewer a specific support in the naturally shaped landscape. After a longer glimpse, however, it begins to frighten us with its magnitude and smallness of the man and, in spite of technological advancement – it reminds us of the nature’s superiority over humankind.
Aleksandra Jatczak-Repeć