About the artwork
The work reflects on the pressure to appear strong, composed, and successful — even when we are exhausted or falling apart. Society rewards readiness and resilience but turns away from fatigue, doubt, or vulnerability. The polished shoes, filled with shards of glass, become a metaphor for this contradiction: elegant on the outside, painful within. The work questions how much of our daily confidence is a performance, a smile worn out of habit rather than joy. Behind the shine, there’s discomfort — quiet, sharp, and persistent — hidden just enough to keep walking.
About the Artist
Sylwia Zawiślak (b. 1991) is an interdisciplinary visual artist whose practice centers on printmaking, with a particular focus on linocut. Her work weaves together personal experiences of migration with reflections on global social tensions, exploring the intersections of power, identity, and representation. Through bold visual language and technical precision, Zawiślak addresses the complexities of contemporary life, from decolonial narratives to the critique of emotional capitalism and online mythologies.
Her artistic approach often extends beyond individual creation into the realm of participation and collaboration. She conducts workshops and community-based projects in which printmaking becomes both a medium and a method of dialogue, empowerment, and collective storytelling. This socially engaged dimension of her practice seeks to reclaim silenced narratives and transform shared experiences into acts of creative resistance.
Exhibitions
This artwork was part of THE HOUSE WE CARRY exhibition in November 2025.
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