Photographer: Jennifer Derksen @fotosvanjen
TDLR version: I'm HYSTERA (aka dr alicja pawluczuk). I'm a disabled artivist (with a broken hystera + Greek for uterus). I'm a digital tech researcher & an educator too. My works are bloody hysterical.
contact >> studio@hystera.online
technology ARTivist is an attempt to crumb all of my identities (e.g. technology researcher, feminist, [invisibly] disabled activist, and artist) into one concise description.
My artivism practice is grounded in ‘Feminist technoscience’. I’m trying to explore how/if technologies and social media influence the way we see ourselves and others. Apart from incorporating elements of research into my work, I also used digital media to share my artivism pieces. In a sense, technology helps me to co-create the meaning of work through my interactions with other users (e.g. through comments, messages). The term ‘artivism’ helps to better describe the purpose of my art which is to activate (at least a tiny bit) social change.
bloody, hysterical, and vibrant – I think these words sum up most of my digital art projects.
I experiment with different mediums and hardly ever have a concrete plan as to what I want to achieve. Photography, collage, gifs, video, sculpture, typography – I use these to get my artivism messages across in both humorous and grim ways. In all of that, I try not to self-censor too much while also feeling super vulnerable about overexposing my [no longer] hidden self. I post my work on social media, then take it down just to repost it again while knowing that the Instagram algorithm will do whatever it wants with my work.
digital media is something that I know and feel confident around and have experience of using, researching, and teaching – both in the context of its critical and creative use
It feels natural to experiment with a medium that is somewhat familiar. My art is a combination of different materials (e.g. plasticine, slime, jam, glitter) and formats (e.g video, gifs, collages).
The word hysteria originates from the Greek word for uterus – hystera. For centuries, hysteria was used both as a medical diagnosis as a derogatory term describing women that would not fit into the oppressive femininity standards. I’d always fit into both of these categories. Seen as too emotional, too sick [yet also] too loud, too outspoken – I was labeled as hysteryczka (Polish for hysterical) at a very young age. It has taken me years to finally understand the history of hysteria and its impact on the way bodies are still being viewed in the 21st century.
my own invisible disability (endometriosis) and broken hystera (uterus) have been sources of my life-long struggle but they have also empowered me to do the things that I do today
You can contact me at studio@hystera.online.
and, of course, follow me on Insta:
You can learn about my research work here: www.alicjapawluczuk.com.
Please contact me directly if you're interested in collaborations or would like to use or purchase any of my works.
