Over(look)ing

Doctoral Project

The project Over(look)ing, developed as part of my doctoral dissertation, reflects on phenomena that escape human attention — those that resist or avoid entering the field of vision. The title refers to the Polish word “prze(o)czenie”, a typographic play in which the word “przeoczenie” (to overlook) simultaneously contains the word “przeczenie” (negation). This linguistic gesture introduces the central theme of the project: the tension between seeing, overlooking, and denying what is present in front of our eyes.

I am interested in whether overlooking must necessarily carry a negative value. Does the omission of certain images distort our perception of reality, or might it also function as a form of protection against an overwhelming influx of difficult visual experiences? The act of overlooking can be reinforced by mass media, illness, deeply rooted beliefs, or broader social desensitization. At the same time, in everyday life we tend to filter visual stimuli, surrounding ourselves with pleasant and aestheticized images — images that may themselves become instruments of manipulation.

I describe these phenomena as “lossy perception” — a mode of seeing in which parts of reality are omitted, suppressed, or remain unnoticed. I am interested both in the negative and the potentially protective aspects of this process, as well as in the question of whether exposing what remains unseen is necessary. Confronting what has been overlooked may lead not only to difficult or even traumatic experiences, but also to a form of awareness and reflection.

The works presented within this project are executed in charcoal. The fragility and impermanence of this medium resonate with the nature of the human eye — a sensitive organ capable of bearing the immense weight of images. Delicate drawings of eyes are combined with sharp metal rods that either cut through the surface of the image or remain in direct contact with it.

A recurring motif in these works is the closed eye, which paradoxically becomes “opened” in different ways. I cut the image along the line of the eyelid, separate or shift its elements apart, exposing the space that emerges between them. This seemingly empty gap becomes a site of tension and meaning — a space of what remains unseen.

The juxtaposition of opposing qualities — the softness of charcoal and the sharpness of metal — constructs an image of an eye entangled and symbolically incised. This gesture evokes the famous scene from the film Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí and can be interpreted as a metaphor for contemporary visual experience — a form of seeing constantly confronted with an overwhelming number of intense and often disturbing images.