Ola Mularczyk

Year of birth: 2000.
Where do you live: I live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Your education: Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre from York University.
Describe your art in three words: Passionate, familiar, eerie.
Your discipline: Interdisciplinary artist (digital art, photography, theatre, film, music, sculpture).
Website | Instagram

What inspired you to explore the theme of heartbreak and healing through surrealism?

After experiencing my fair share of heartbreak in my early 20s, I needed a creative outlet. I pulled from very real experiences from the last few years like getting cheated on, getting ghosted, long distance, breakdowns in communication, and struggling with my own insecurities. I’ve always felt very drawn to surrealism as it acts as a window to the subconscious. All the characters are reflections of me and I created these worlds as a place for my emotions to unapologetically take up space.

I’ve always been someone who feels things very strongly and I’m also one to love without thinking twice. Which has been a bit of a chaotic combination but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The message that I hope people take away from this series is that healing can be messy and unsettling and painful, but it’s human. Allowing yourself to acknowledge and feel the full extent of your feelings will always be worth it in the end. 

How do you feel the intersection of your background in performing arts has influenced your approach to visual art?

I treat each step of the creative process as if it’s a piece of performance art. Everything from creating the props to doing my hair and makeup was done with intention and mindfulness. I feel like my early exposure to performing arts makes me much more comfortable creating art in public places without worrying about how I’m perceived. My theatre experience helped me do thorough character work to create complex characters with strong backstories. Even though the audience might not ever see it, I, as the performer, can use it to truly connect with the scene. I also surround myself with tokens of my past experiences to jog my memory and really sink deep into the character. These tokens, in forms such as toys, ticket stubs, and jewelry, can be found in many of the scenes. 

Ola Mularczyk | Marked

Can you describe the creative process behind creating these surrealist photographs? How much of it is personal experience versus conceptual?

Each scene is a conceptual representation of the feelings during the healing journey. Throughout history, especially in western works, women’s thoughts and emotions have been portrayed as mysterious, irrational, and unpredictable. I decided to comically lean into this idea by using these supernatural entities as vessels for my emotions. The scenarios are inspired by myths and legends from all over the world that I thought resembled my motivations in those moments. None of the scenes that I created are reflections of reality- the most human things about it are the emotions they evoke. 

What do the different phases of the grieving and healing process represent in your series?

I believe that heartbreak is an example of disenfranchised grief. In many of these cases, whether it’s the loss of a job, a relationship, a living situation, or an opportunity, we can still very much experience grief. But because these events are fairly common in life, the loss can be seen as “less significant” by those around us. This often puts us in this strange place because we feel like we should move on quickly and just get over it, but the pain lingers and it’s often not dealt with properly. 

The scenes showcase the stages of grief including denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. This healing process isn’t linear or clear cut therefore neither are the photos. Healing is also deeply unsettling. You have to face deep fears and insecurities to get to the root of the pain and take steps towards getting better. Understanding my work is a similar process. You have to sit with the discomfort and the unsettling scenes, notice the details, and reflect inwards to truly feel the full impact. 

Ola Mularczyk | Spinning

The concept of vulnerability and kindness after betrayal is powerful. How do you think this resonates with viewers who may not have experienced heartbreak?

I believe we have all experienced heartbreak in some way or another. Not exclusively in a romantic sense, but it could be disappointment, rejection, or loss in any aspect of life. These moments eat away at us, bit by bit. It’s incredibly difficult not to put walls up and refuse to try again. After heartbreak, it’s natural to not want to get hurt again. But this also robs you of the opportunity to experience joy or love in your life. 

For those in particular who haven’t experienced romantic heartbreak, I hope this series can offer them hope. The first few romantic heartbreaks truly feel like the world is ending, just like it feels for these characters. But in this cycle, we see the light at the end of the tunnel and the opportunity to begin again. 

What role does collaboration with Fiona Vandermyden play in the visual storytelling of this series?

Fiona Vendermyden is my best friend and the photographer that I collaborated with on this project. Where I created the scenes, she helped me capture them to be able to share them with the world. She’s the only person in the world that I trust with my creation because I know she will handle it with care.

Ola Mularczyk | Crash landing

How do you approach the blending of personal emotions with abstract, surreal concepts in your work?

I believe that heartbreak is part of what makes us human. These tales of love and loss have been told across various cultures for thousands of years. Researching these myths and diving into classic literature was strangely comforting. It brought me an eerie sense of validation seeing all the artists that came before me who felt the exact same thing. I pay attention to all aspects, both visible and invisible. Details as seemingly insignificant as choosing which perfume the characters would wear or what they would eat. Then in preparation, I would go ahead and do what my characters would do.

As is traditional with surrealism, a lot of the meaning rests in the featured symbolism. In addition to the symbolism, I trust that the scenes I create can convey my emotions to the audience. Through my work, I aim to create more than a well composed image, I aim to share moments that are frozen in time.