There is no doubt that Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak is one of the leading artists who nowadays have an impact on the art of weaving. There is a wide scope of her interests and artistic activities. She is concerned with many aspects of artistic fabric, carpet design and creating some untypical weaving 'matter' - objects, installations or graphic works inspired by fibre art.

Although the author uses the fundamental technical principles characteristic of this fine art, some of her works do not meet common expectations connected with artistic fabric. Recalling the definitions concerning the popular forms typical of this discipline is also out of place as far as her works go. The techniques that Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak uses originate from varied areas of fibre art. Taking the systems of material combination into account we can recognize both the ones close to embroidery and those connected with weaving: the author knits 'threads' together, sews on knots, weaves the bands of fabric.

For a long time the artist has chosen materials that are not associated with the tradition of this area of art. They are most frequently strips of soft elastic leather that is plastic yet preserves its shape and strands of paper - treated like fibres. There are threads, pieces of wood, resin - natural organic materials.

The works are marked by a strong direct influence of the material. Owing to tightening and loosening weaves, or due to diversifying the distances between the joined elements the artist produces a variety of extremely suggestive textures. Little differences between the size of knots, length and height of weaves introduce slight disturbances. Likewise the selection of different algorithms for the arrangements of elements going in the opposite directions. Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak's works often exist on the border of different disciplines and forms of artistic expression; her 'fabrics' take the form of bas-reliefs, three-dimensional objects or sculptures, and also graphic works recently.

In this area the artist from Łódź is most of all interested in the problem of relief shaping that forms the surface. She tries to find in space the right position for each compositional element. The rigid matter that is subject to the influence of sculptural way of thinking and when touched by the creator it becomes softened. The frequently mobile texture and the relief are the way to escape from the area of flat fabric into the area of 3D, and even, if we take into consideration the temporary aspect present in the works which have a calligraphic character or in the dynamic rhythmical sequences, into the area of the fourth dimension ruled by time and movement.

Referring to the motif of movement is one of the characteristic features present in Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak's creation. Some of the titles refer directly to the source of inspiration. They are in agreement with the general impression we have while looking at these extraordinary works. We can clearly see clouds passing by, the grass and bulrush swaying or a kite trembling in the wind, we can almost hear moving sands in the desert, we turn our faces to meet the breeze [Z wiatrem (With the Wind), Szuwary (Bulrush), Marzenia z dzieciństwa (Dreams from the Childhood), Bryza I i II (Breeze I and II)].

Sometimes the bands building the image, subject to movement and endowed with energy, are not able to stay withing the framework of the composition. They break into freedom and leave the sphere of the closed work [Lotne piaski (Moving Sands)]. Whereever abstraction rules, rows of knots fall down like grain, varied impulses move along the planes, like a nervous cramp going under the skin [Reliefy (Reliefs) dating back to the late 1980s)]. The light and shade effects play an important role in creating those illusions - in reliefs diversified penetration of the surface by the light makes an impression of movement and life.

A lot of smaller works are characterized by lightness and airiness. Large compositions [such as the works Oddech (Breath) or Ciepło (Warmth)] organize and dynamize the atmosphere around them. We feel the space, the air movement is perceptible. Even the most static objects are in movement evoked by accidental or deliberate actions of man. Organic movement is only one of the elements joining Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak's works with the world of nature. Biological forms are the ones the artist takes as a starting point and they become the elementary source of inspiration, a phenomenon which captures our imagination. The artist searches for and discovers meaning in the harmony with the world of nature.

Natural phenomena, events experienced close to nature will be reflected in the imagery layer or they are preserved in the structure of the work. A tendency towards biology is expressed in creating the system of rhythmical organic forms with a unique recognizable type of ornament. The convex elements of works resemble grains of crops, buds, leaves scattered around, they are arranged in rows, clusters, they remind us of the view of grass blown by the wind. In graphic reliefs some forms, imprinted in the coconut fibre paper - signs of potency and life coming out from the background - go with organic character of the material.

Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak's artistic interferences, transforming the elements of nature and giving new interpretations of natural phenomena, sound with some echoes of thinking representative of the late stage of land art, though they do not take such spectacular forms. It is also certain, especially when considering small, often provocative and playful compositions, that the creation is also based on the philosophy typical of surrealists and - even to a larger extent - of conceptualists [Kaprys (Caprice), Mój świat (My World), Pomyślnych wiatrów (Catch a Good Wind), Daruję Ci cały świat (I Will Give You the Whole World), Owoce (Fruit), Lot (A Flight)]. Referring to these traditions the artist raises the question about the identity or compatibility of an object and its image. Is the image a counterpart of the object it shows? Is the relation of the structure formed from the cut pieces of a hipsometric map to the original plane of the map the same as the relation of a map to the real picture of the Earth? And - let us joke here - does the globe have to be round?

The artist's works are first of all the compositions with a harmonized simple palette - monochromes, the works diversified by values, limited to organic, vegetal-earth or aerial tones. Sometimes there comes an additional, often flamboyant colour; it appears on the side edges of the cut leather or paper, or in the tone of the ground selected with great sensitivity, where the convex parts of the basic material are fixed. On the other hand the 'maps' are multi-coloured planes, frequently random as far as colour composition is concerned (the arrangement is determined by the original location of the elements used there and not by a colour scheme designed in advance).

Although the author of the works is certainly very sensitive to colour, it seems to be of secondary importance. However, the reason for this is that the artist tries to keep the original, organic - thus often unattractive and dim - character of shades. Furthermore, colour that is used in a moderate way does not distract our attention from the structure, and the works get rid of the painting domination.

Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak's works are usually subject to the composition discipline and they are closed within the regular framework of the image, even though they go into space or they have some features of sculptural composition. It is particularly observed in the works that are not imitative, do not suggest anything, the works that tend to be abstract (Quadro, Diagonal). The compositional scheme is more stable there - the shape of a square often appears with some explicitly marked lines of division.

Some of the works embody abstract notions such as Ciepło (Warmth) or Cisza (Silence). The suggestive aspect of emotions is intensified by the apparent radiation, emanation of energy conveyed by visual means of expression - obtained due to the coordinate use of the material, composition, structure and colour, or - on the other hand - the relaxing silence and stillness.

The particular few statements made by Jolanta Rudzka- -Habisiak gradually and consistently build our knowledge concerning the language of the discipline she is concerned with. She is interested in the relationships between the signs of this language, form and colour. Her works can be analysed at different levels, taking the degree of structuralisation into consideration. The artists uses the signs of fabric, filling the sheets of paper with rows of elements - like letters - creating an artistic text. She explicitly refers to the language of speech and writing, gathering single symbols on paper projections, calligraphing inscriptions into the backgrounds of some works, 'recording' the whole Pages (Stronice) and recalling the motif of a book in the form of works.

Owing to the philosophical involvement, but also due to the arduous effort, the need for discipline and concentration, the fact of contesting and recording the time going by with every single knot that is tied, the creation is sometimes considered to be contemplative in its character.

Since the very beginning the artist has drawn attention by her individual approach to the issues of artistic fabric. She has worked out her own concept which allowed her to keep creative discipline and at the same time to be recognized as an individual artist, with regard to the original features of the presented artistic workshop. However, her inborn inquisitiveness and great diligence, supported by her ability to improvise will not let her get stuck in her earlier schemes. Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak still searches for new solutions, she intuitively goes beyond the limits of traditional fibre art and in the new areas she still surprises the audience with her apt artistic decisions. She always keeps balance between formal- -expressive search and significant humanistic content.

Dariusz Leśnikowski

Translated by Elżbieta Rodzeń-Leśnikowska