Mine Shaft in Silesia (2025) Original Oil Painting by Eliza Kołodziej

This is a moody painting of a mine shaft in Silesia – a structure that feels both familiar and strangely distant.

Leaving the place where you grew up feels like the best thing that can happen to you – at least when you’re barely an adult. I thought so too. Later you settle somewhere new and tell yourself it’s temporary.

I walk through this new home, learning it slowly: neighbours’ names, chestnut trees, quiet places. When someone asks if I’m from here, I answer quickly: “No, not from here.” I’m afraid of replacing one home with another, of never knowing this place the way I knew the old one.

I tell myself this place is my enemy. But maybe it isn’t the place at all.

This work holds that tension. The mine shaft stands clear and present, yet somehow out of reach. Muted tones and strong contrasts build a quiet sense of unease. The surface is layered, catching light differently throughout the day, which adds depth to the restrained palette.

Exhibited in: “Endurlings. The End of the City”, Warsaw, 2025 – the artist’s MFA graduation exhibition; “5 Years after the Diploma”, Lublin, 2025.

The painting is ready to hang and will be delivered in secure, multi-layered packaging, insured and tracked to ensure its safety during transport. Each work comes with a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity, confirming its originality.

Materials used:

Oil paint on canvas

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 90 x 120 x 4cm
• Ready to hang
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: Architecture and cityscapes