{"id":514553,"date":"2026-06-02T11:08:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/514553\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:08:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:08:38","slug":"airbrushed-onto-paper-towels-these-fragile-artworks-explore-memory-and-perception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/514553\/","title":{"rendered":"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>helena minginowicz paints on materials designed to disappear<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Polish artist Helena Minginowicz turns some of the most ordinary objects of everyday life into unexpected artworks. Living and working in Pozna\u0144, she uses an airbrush technique to paint faces, bodies, animals, and fragments of text onto paper towels, tissues, napkins, beauty masks, and other disposable materials. Using these ephemeral surfaces as her canvas, the artist explores themes of fragility, perception, memory, and the fleeting nature of contemporary existence. Her works are currently included in Let\u2019s Face It, a group <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/exhibitions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">exhibition<\/a><\/strong> on view at Warsaw\u2019s Galeria Lotna dedicated to contemporary approaches to representation and identity.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Minginowicz allows the physical characteristics of disposable objects to actively shape each image. Embossed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/flower-and-leaf-art\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>floral<\/strong><\/a> and geometric patterns, folds, tears, creases, and wrinkles interrupt the painted surface, becoming integral elements of the composition.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Paper towels and tissues are objects designed for brief use before being discarded. The artist creates a tension between permanence and disappearance by\u00a0transferring carefully rendered imagery onto these fragile surfaces. What is typically overlooked or thrown away acquires a renewed presence, encouraging viewers to reconsider the value of everyday materials that pass unnoticed.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193067 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 1\" width=\"818\" height=\"1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-01.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>MY OWN THOUGHTS, acrylic on paper towel, 22 \u00d7 40 cm, 2026 | all images by <a href=\"https:\/\/helenaminginowicz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Helena Minginowicz<\/a>, unless stated otherwise<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>images emerge through a fragile veil<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Using an airbrush, Helena Minginowicz creates soft tonal transitions and blurred contours that seem to hover within the material. Faces appear from behind embossed patterns, bodies dissolve into folds, and animals emerge from layers of tissue. The resulting images remain partially concealed, never fully revealing themselves to the viewer.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This visual ambiguity reflects the<a href=\"https:\/\/helenaminginowicz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong> artist\u2019s<\/strong> <\/a>ongoing interest in perception and subjective experience, whose work suggests that every act of seeing is filtered through personal memories, emotions, and assumptions. The disposable material becomes a veil through which the image can only ever be partially understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Minginowicz\u2019s works draw attention to objects rarely associated with artistic value. A household paper towel, a cosmetic mask, or a folded napkin becomes a site of contemplation. Through subtle interventions, the artist reveals an unexpected beauty hidden within materials manufactured for convenience and consumption.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The contrast between the care invested in each airbrushed image and the temporary nature of the support heightens the emotional charge of the work. Delicate faces, vulnerable bodies, and gentle animal figures appear suspended within objects destined to deteriorate, emphasizing the fragile condition shared by both material things and living beings.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193073 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 2\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-07.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>MY OWN THOUGHTS, acrylic on paper towel, 22 \u00d7 40 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>exploring vulnerability through material and image<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the Polish artist\u2019s practice, vulnerability exists on multiple levels. The physical fragility of the support mirrors the vulnerability of the subjects depicted upon it.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In several works, insects appear alongside faces and animals, while fragments of language emerge from folded napkins and tissues. These interventions introduce additional layers of meaning, touching on themes of mortality, transformation, intimacy, and decay. The imagery resists fixed interpretation, remaining open to personal associations and emotional responses.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of Minginowicz\u2019s practice is a fascination with the unstable nature of images. Her works exist in a space between visibility and concealment, permanence and impermanence, presence and absence. By choosing materials intended for immediate disposal, she transforms everyday objects into poetic reflections on how memories, emotions, and identities are continually formed, altered, and lost.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Through paper towels, tissues, and other fleeting materials, Helena Minginowicz invites viewers to slow down and look again at what usually escapes attention. In doing so, she reveals how even the most fragile objects can become powerful vessels for reflection, emotion, and human connection.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193076 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 3\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-10.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>First\/Last KISS acrylic on paper towel, custom frame 30 \u00d7 30 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193079 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 4\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-13.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>First\/Last KISS acrylic on paper towel, custom frame 30 \u00d7 30 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193069 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 5\" width=\"818\" height=\"1138\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-03.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>SHAME acrylic on paper towel, 22 \u00d7 20 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193086 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 6\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-16.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>(UN)CALMING MASK \/ cycle acrylic on sheet mask, 22 x 24 cm, 2025, part of Let\u2019s Face It<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193085 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 7\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-15.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>SWEETS \/ Disposable acrylic on plastic bag, 2024<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193070 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 8\" width=\"818\" height=\"1087\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-04.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>TOUCH acrylic on paper towel, 22 \u00d7 40 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193074 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 9\" width=\"818\" height=\"1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-08.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>MOTHER(HOOD)\/ Disposable acrylic on paper towel, 22\u00d740 cm, 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193078 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 10\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-12.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>INNOCENCE \/ KiiiKiiii \/ Have a good cry<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193080 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 11\" width=\"818\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-14.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>CHILDHOOD (past)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193071 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 12\" width=\"818\" height=\"990\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-05.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>GREAT EXPECTATIONS \/ I\u2019m my own biggest disappointment hand embossing on paper tissue, 20 x 21 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193068 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 13\" width=\"818\" height=\"1069\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-02.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\u2026\u2026 TOO \/ Disposable hand embossing on paper tissue, 20 x 21 cm, 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193072 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 14\" width=\"818\" height=\"759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-06.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/la_panarteria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@la_panarteria<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1193075 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"airbrushed onto paper towels, these fragile artworks explore memory and perception - 15\" width=\"818\" height=\"759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/helena-minginowicz-delicate-images-paper-towels-disposable-objects-designboom-09.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>image via @la_panarteria<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>artist:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/helenaminginowicz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Helena Minginowicz<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/santa___helena\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@santa___helena<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"helena minginowicz paints on materials designed to disappear \u00a0 Polish artist Helena Minginowicz turns some of the most&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[267],"tags":[365,362,363,364,366,18,117,19,17,205979],"class_list":["post-514553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-radical-softness"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116680203622243856","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}