Lidia Groblicka: Black + White

This display pays tribute to the work of late South Australian artist Lidia Groblicka.

Polish-born Groblicka migrated to Australia in 1965 and pursued an independent path in her art practice. Her striking relief prints reflect her keen observations of people and contemporary life. Many of her works appear instantly amusing, but they also provide deeper insights into human behaviour and the resilience of the human spirit.

This selection of work reflects Groblicka’s engagement with printmaking over some sixty years. Her earliest prints are executed in the Social Realist style of post-war Poland. Later works made in London and Adelaide see the artist translating foreign environs through the more familiar, comforting vernaculars of Polish folk art and textile design. Groblicka’s final works retain a connection to rhythmic patterning, but on closer inspection, emerge as deeply-felt political commentaries, comprising intricate assemblages of machine-gun wielding insects, coffins and corporate logos.