Midsummer's Eve

The project by this artist alludes to Midsummer’s Eve, or the Night of St John—an ancient Slavic celebration connected with the summer solstice and, in particular, with the custom of young girls plaiting hair garlands. The mural depicts the profile of a woman against the background of a lake and wearing a garland of Polish flowers. Also included in the mural is a local species of butterfly (the southern festoon). Between 2012 and 2017, attempts were made to reintroduce this extinct species to the Wapienica Valley in Bielsko-Biała. The mural was painted in 2016 under the “oBBraz miasta #3” project organised by the Fundacja Galerii Bielskiej and Galeria Bielska BWA and co-financed from the Bielsko-Biała municipal budget. Project sponsor – Leroy-Merlin Polska Sp. z o.o.

Natalia Rak graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. She earned her degree under Prof. S. Iwański in the Spatial Graphic Design and Poster Design studio, and additionally in the Illustration and Cartoon studio under Prof. G. Kolat. She has created numerous monumental murals in various corners of the world, including the United States, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Russia and Italy. As well as street art, her artistic pursuits include painting and design.