The Shape Shifting Woman

Female Metamorphoses

March is a time for reflection on women’s identity and on the tensions arising from the multiplicity of roles that society assigns to them.

In this context, the Art Base gallery presents a new exhibition entitled “The Shape-Shifting Woman”, a subjective narrative by two artists with distinct artistic personalities, exploring the diversity of female experiences, their space of freedom, and their resilience.

On the one hand, Kasia Haber presents a series of imposing graphic works in the style of contemporary illustration, with subtle references to pop art. Her protagonists—carefree, triumphant, or rebellious—radiate sensuality and energy, challenging conventions, rigid norms, and conformism. These works take on a particular significance when they are paired with her delicate ink drawings, which combine a fine, precise line with a poetic and intimate approach to her own home. Minimalist portraits of family members and genre scenes emerge as an uninhibited expression of inner strength and a genuine rejection of constraints.

Suddenly, within this fictional yet entirely conceivable space, another story begins, driven by the intention to create a visual and emotional shock in the viewer.

Indeed, this narrative confronts the work of Txema Muñoz, representing a disruptive element that breaks the apparent stability and profoundly unsettles the existence of our heroines. These works are based on Txema’s long-standing project entitled “Ave Fenix”, which explores the restorative power of fire within his overall artistic practice. The artist presents a selection of photographs born from the mastery of flames that he tames and disciplines, transforming them into a tool for shaping and renewal. Through these photographs, along with a shop-window mannequin, Odile, transformed into a sculpture, he weaves the continuation of the story: that of women who must inevitably undergo a radical transformation, ultimately leading them to embrace a completely new version of themselves. Fire, therefore, does not symbolize definitive destruction, but rather rebirth—the starting point of a spectacular regeneration following a period of crisis or trauma.

Émilie Kuczynska-Vigalondo – exhibition curator