Ph.D THESIS by ANNA BIELA

PROCESS

In the first modular painting, Process, which establishes the conceptual foundation of the entire series, the principal message appears alongside a recurring visual structure that becomes the common denominator throughout the work. In the foreground, twenty self-portraits are arranged in two horizontal rows, each depicted in profile. Their repetition introduces rhythm and temporality, suggesting both sequence and accumulation—moments layered rather than isolated.

The simplified, skull-like form of the self-portraits functions as a memento mori, referencing the fragility and brevity of human life. At the same time, the skull operates as a vessel: not only a symbol of death, but of transformation. Stripped of individual facial features, the portraits move away from likeness and toward essence, allowing identity to be understood as something fluid and continually reshaped.

Through this serial self-representation, Process becomes a visual meditation on becoming rather than being. The repeated profile captures the ongoing internal shifts that occur across time—emotional, psychological, and spiritual—mapping a process that unfolds throughout a lifetime. Identity here is not fixed, but formed through constant change, erosion, and renewal. The work invites the viewer to recognize themselves within this cycle, confronting mortality while simultaneously affirming continuity and growth.

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ART WORK
ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 140X350 CM / 2012
I/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
II/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
III/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
IV/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
V/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
VI/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
VII/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
VIII/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
IX/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012
X/ANNA BIELA 10N3 / PROCESS DETAIL / ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70X70 CM / 2012