TITLE: FISH CHOIR_FISH SINGING

,FISH CHOIR_FISH SINGING" is a multi-part, black-and-white digital composition that challenges the boundaries of perception and logic through its surreal aesthetic. This work is the latest iteration of a motif the artist has returned to cyclically over the years, exploring it through various media—from animation to photo-installations.
The image presents four variations of the same scene, manipulating contrast and negative space, which lends the whole a dreamlike, at times unsettling, character. The surrealism of the work lies in the collision of two environments—air and water—and two forms of vocal expression—the song of a bird and the "song" of a fish, which is inherently silent. The cage, a symbol of imprisonment and limitation, becomes a stage for this absurd, silent "choir."
Conceptually, this work is a visual meditation on communication, freedom, and the paradox of existence. The fish in the cage is a powerful symbol of the inability to express oneself under imposed conditions. The monochromatic aesthetic heightens the sense of timelessness and focuses the viewer's attention on the symbolic rather than the realistic aspect of the piece. It is a study of the absurd that forces reflection on the nature of the limitations we place on ourselves and others, and on what it means to "sing" against one's own nature. This latest realization is a continuation and development of earlier artistic explorations, including a project with the same title previously presented in art galleries, which underscores the central place of this theme in the work of Katarzyna Zabłocka.

AUTHOR: Katarzyna Zabłocka (Poland)

Katarzyna Zabłocka, PhD (born 1975, Białystok) is a prominent Polish intermedia artist, educator, and curator of art-research projects. Her creative practice explores the intersections of film, animation, and photography, integrated within the framework of multimedia art education.
Academic Profile and Research
A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (2000), she was awarded a Doctor of Arts (PhD) in Fine Arts and Art Conservation from the same institution in October 2025. Since 2019, she has served as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Graphic Arts within the Institute of Fine Arts. She also serves as the academic supervisor for the "Ciemnia" Student Research Group.
International Recognition and Awards
Dr. Zabłocka’s work has garnered significant international acclaim. Her recent accolades include:
2026: Honorable Mention at the Indo Dubai International Film Festival (Dubai, UAE).
2025: 1st Prize in the Experimental Film category for the work Light at The Lie Feed Film Festival (United Kingdom).
2025: 2nd Prize at the 9th National "Collage-Assemblage" Competition (BWA Olkusz).
2024: 2nd Prize at the "Empathy" International Photography Competition (Legnica Art Gallery).
Her career is further distinguished by the Polish Film Institute (PISF) Award (2015) for excellence in film education and a nomination for the Irena Sendler "For Repairing the World" Award. In 2023, she participated in the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), a flagship exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Curatorial and Institutional Impact
Her artistic contributions are preserved in permanent museum collections, including:
The animated collage film Retrospections: Alfons Karny at the Alfons Karny Sculpture Museum in Białystok.
The film animation Vanishing and Existence at the Icon Museum in Supraśl.
Between 2022 and 2024, she coordinated the "Laboratory of Happiness Research," a collaborative interdisciplinary project involving the Goethe-Institut, Bęc Zmiana Foundation, and the Arsenał Gallery in Białystok. As a leading expert, she collaborates with the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute (FINA) and the Center for Art Education (CEA), where she co-authored the National Core Curriculum for Intermedia Studies in Polish art schools.
Recent Exhibitions (2025–2026)
In 2025, her work was featured in major surveys of contemporary photography, including the 1st Bydgoszcz Photography Biennale, the 20th Foto Art Festival in Bielsko-Biała, and the 15th "Remis" Biennale of Photography. In November 2025, she served as the curator for the exhibition Unreal (Nierzeczywiste) at the Ełk Cultural Center.
Dr. Zabłocka’s oeuvre is defined by an analytical approach to interspecies communities, social empathy, and formal experimentation with light and time-based media.