About Ela Kurowska

Event: Winners Exhibition

Dates: 17 Apr 2019 - 23 Apr 2019

1st Place, Science Category for the image "Aspargio".

Event: Light Forms

Dates: 12 Nov 2018 - 24 Nov 2018

I am fascinated with the origins of life; especially the moment in Earth’s history when amorphous organic matter transformed into graceful, harmonious, awe-inspiring structures that we recognize as life. In my works, I attempt to mimic and visualize the process of creation of life by sculpturing small, biomorphic forms from soft, solidified, transparent organic gels stained with colors. I then subject these gel objects to gentle deformation and capture them in the cross-polarized light. Because some gels have the ability to show material stress in cross-polarized light, the resulting images resemble otherworldly life forms full of light, vivid colors and rich texture. I call them ‘Light Forms’.
Generously supported by grants from the London Arts Council and from the Ontario Arts Council.

Event: Light Forms

Dates: 21 Mar 2018 - 7 Apr 2018

I am fascinated with the origins of life; especially the moment in Earth’s history when amorphous organic matter transformed into graceful, harmonious, awe-inspiring structures that we recognize as life. In my works, I attempt to mimic and visualize the process of creation of life by sculpturing small, biomorphic forms from soft, solidified, transparent organic gels stained with colors. I then subject these gel objects to gentle deformation and capture them in the cross-polarized light. Because some gels have the ability to show material stress in cross-polarized light, the resulting images resemble otherworldly life forms full of light, vivid colors and rich texture. I call them ‘Light Forms’.

Event: Being Scene

Dates: 1 Mar 2018 - 25 Mar 2018

Life Attractant and other images exhibited

Event: Segamenis

Dates: 21 Apr 2017 - 7 May 2017

Segamenis is a small (5cm diameter) composition which I made from soft, translucent organic gels using my expertise in biochemistry. To transform it into the image of a mysterious, alien flower, I utilized unique physical properties of organic gels; their predisposition to form soft, organic shapes and their ability to glow with light and vivid colors when subjected to deformations and photographed in cross-polarized light (this is called a photoelastic effect). The composition was made by arranging thin leaves of moist, brightly colored compact gel and a hydrated ball of a superabsorbent gel on a glass pane.

Event: Light Forms

Dates: 6 Oct 2016 - 5 Nov 2016

Akasha Art Projects Inc. is pleased to present Light Forms, a solo show by photographer and biochemist Elzbieta (Ela) Kurowska. Inspired by photo elasticity, an old visualization technique used by material engineers, Ela discovered a way to combine her science background and her self-taught photography skills to both create and capture a series of life-resembling structures that are unique, graceful, and magical. By manipulating soft, translucent organic gels, Ela reproduces the spectacular bursts of light and vivid colors that result from the unpredictable combination of organic gels and polarized light. Light Forms could be considered an experiment, in which art comes face to face with science to visualize life’s breathtaking capability to develop and evolve into abundance of forms.

Event: Light Forms

Dates: 18 Feb 2016 - 21 Feb 2016

Winner, UNTAPPED Emerging Artists Competition

Event: Ten. An Exhibition of photo-based work by 10 artists

Dates: 7 Feb 2015 - 28 Feb 2015

As a photographer and biochemist, I am fascinated by the origins of life – that moment in Earth’s history when amorphous organic matter started to self-organize and generate increasingly complex structures that made life. In this project, I use a scientific approach in combination with staged photography to visualize and capture the process of transforming inanimate organic matter into simple living organisms.

To create the images of emerging life, I am implementing a novel technique based on spectacular visual effects displayed by translucent organic gels subjected to deformations and photographed between two polarized filters. Various organic gels are first molded into abstract, three-dimensional, biological shapes. Gel sculptures are subsequently assembled and staged on a light box, illuminated and then photographed in the cross-polarized light.

Event: Origins

Dates: 2 May 2014 - 31 May 2014

CONTACT Scotiabank Photography Festival

Event: Illumination. An Exhibition of Fine Art Photography

Dates: 22 Apr 2014 - 13 May 2014

The photographs which I am presenting tell a story about my fascination with the mystery of origins and the development of life in its infinite richness of forms. It is life which germinates and stubbornly evolves even in the most hostile environments, the life from which we all originate.

Event: Light Forms

Dates: 29 May 2013 - 10 Jun 2013

My first solo exhibition.