“Moment” by Honorata Martin

Honorata Martin thinks outside the box. She also thinks outside the body. She is a painter, performer and visual artist on a quest to record what the experience of death feels like.

The picture above is titled, “Moment,” and is the result of a performance art piece Martin created in 2015. Her friend had died tragically, and in an attempt to understand death, Martin donned a shirt her dead friend had worn and then walked into a canal in Gdansk, Poland. It was January, and she stayed in the water long enough for her body to float and to be completely immersed.

Martin’s quest is not just theorizing about what death feels like but about observing the deepest of human emotions. According to the online source, Culture.pl, Honorata Martin “is interested in the strong emotions which accompany our own limits and fears, and searching for limits of psychological, physical and emotional strength.”

Some of Martin’s art projects have definitely tested the endurance of the human body. One time, Martin attempted to mentally do battle with the cold by sitting on a rooftop in her swimsuit reading a book. The temperature was -30 degrees.

Other visual art projects have included Martin traveling across Poland by herself and using sketches, videos, maps, and photos to tell the story in an exhibit which translates to, “Society Isn’t Nice.” She has also camped in a sculpture park in Warsaw for weeks, re-creating the social sculpture of interactions in an exhibit called, “Make Yourself at Home.”

Another art dramatization occurred when Honorata Martin invited her audience to her home and told them they could take anything they wanted — a demonstration of socialization and sharing in a gift economy. Her apartment was bare within a few hours.

Born in Poland in 1984, Martin has made her presence felt in the art world. She won the Geppert Competition in 2011, the Audience Award at Art Biennale in 2012, and a Culture and Art Prize, Newcomer of the Year, and a nomination for the City of Gdansk award for young artists in 2015.  She was nominated for the Polityka Passport in 2016.