“Etno” is an original project of make-up artist and designer Beata Bojda. The inspiration for the creation of the series of portraits, of which there are currently about thirty, were the “Spiders” made of paper flowers. Tissue-making developed in Poland at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, mainly in the villages of Podkarpacie, Lesser Poland and Opoczno. It was there, in one of the open-air museums, that a part of flower crowns and a wedding wreath were created. Paper flowers were once used to decorate the frames of holy pictures, home chapels, and to decorate women’s headgear on holidays or celebrations, such as weddings – so the series culminates in brides wearing crowns of white and pistachio peonies, roses and pearls. All paper wreaths and crowns designed by Beata are hand-made using the traditional method from years ago. The photos were taken by the photographers invited by the artist: Ewa Żylińska, Ivon Wolak, Rita Lorenc, Ula Kóska, Diana Błażkow, Dorota Koperska, Roman Hryciów and Adam Słowikowski. The whole is a collage of different styles and different worlds so characteristic of ethno. The beauty of these photos is due to the original make-up, fabrics and costumes designed by the artist, as well as ethnic jewelry from all over the world and the one made by the designer. “Etno” was shown at the London-based “The Brick Lane Gallery”, in Paris as part of Cool Concept, at the Krakow photo gallery “Third Eye” and at the Bielska BWA Gallery. The artist consistently uses folk handicrafts and uses them in her works. In addition to tissue paper, it shows the beauty of regional embroidery and lace in a modern version. In her project, which she carried out last year thanks to the scholarship of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, “MASK PROTECTING POLISH FOLKLORE”, these elements served as the basis for creating masks.
