Wiktoria WOJCIECHOWSKA (Born 1991) - Lot 99

Wiktoria WOJCIECHOWSKA (Born 1991) Otolith, 2025 Sandstone, calcite 40 x 47 x 25 cm Otoliths (othos: ear; lithos: stone) are calcium carbonate crystals located in the inner ear. Their correct position corresponds to the human being's "sixth sense" - equilibrioception, i.e. the ability to orientate oneself, perceive one's own body in space and apprehend one's equilibrium. A slight displacement of the crystals prevents the body from functioning in space. In her works, Wiktoria draws attention to the unbreakable bond between man and the plant and mineral world, and to the need to find ways of coexisting based on sensitivity and empathy. His work focuses on bodily and sensory experiences. His sculptures are like ex-votos that heal from an "amnesia of nature". In "Otolith", calcite crystals emerge from the ear of a sandstone head from an old quarry (traces of mason's tools can still be seen on the back, along with moss that has covered the form). The face is stylized like a primitive sculpture, like those offered in pagan temples, created for the purposes of body-healing cults. "Otolith" reminds us that man is not a different being, but a body, a being also composed of minerals which, like other entities, participates in the natural cycle.