Curator: Monika Branicka

Mariuccia Secol’s exhibition – 1968. II Genesi marks the first presentation of this Italian artist’s work in Poland. At the heart of the display lies a remarkable series of paintings from 1968–1969, entitled II Genesi (The Second Beginning). This body of work reflects a pivotal moment, both in the history of Italy’s social transformation and in Secol’s artistic journey.

Born in 1929, Secol recalls this period as an era of rebellion—not her own, but that of her children’s generation, who took part in tumultuous protests and political upheavals. Yet it was precisely at this time that Secol sensed a shift—not only within the conservative Italian society but also within herself, as both a woman and an artist.

The paintings she created then, paradoxically traditional, made using the ancient encaustic technique with natural beeswax, embody the artist’s own rebirth. II Genesi consists of abstract works, in which form, colour, and texture subtly evoke fragments of the female body—the symbolic battleground in the struggle for freedom at the time. This series was also her final cycle of paintings; thereafter, she dedicated herself primarily to textiles, sculpture, and textile-based objects.