Karolina Hałatek
PhD Candidate, Doctoral School, Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow
BIO
Karolina Halatek studied Design for Performance at the University of the Arts London, Great Britain, Fine Arts at the Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany and Media Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. During her studies in Berlin, she participated in workshops at the Institut für Raumexperimente run by Olafur Eliasson. Karolina Halatek received the Minister’s Scholarship for Fine Arts from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Poland, a London residency managed by Acme Studios International Residencies Programme, artist residency at CEC Artslink NYC and Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri, ARIE Artist Residency Programme at A4 Art Museum, Chengdu, China. Karolina Halatek was a fellow through the »New Networks« project, a cooperation of Akademie Schloss Solitude and the Center for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, with support by Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw. In cooperation with Kulturregion Stuttgart and the city of Gerlingen, Karolina Halatek participated in the Lichkunstfestival »Aufstiege« of Kulturregion Stuttgart. Her Scanner Room Video was broadcasted into outer space at the MONA FOMA Festival held by the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart/Tasmania and in 2021 her installation Beacon commissioned by Noor Riyadh Festival in Saudi Arabia broke a World Guinness Record in the category of the Largest LED Structure.
Website: https://karolinahalatek.com/
Abstract
Visual representation of light visions within Near Death Experience
Karolina Halatek is a Polish artist who uses light as the central medium in her work to create experiential site-specific spaces that incorporate visual, architectural, and sculptural elements. Seeing her work primarily as a catalyst for experience, Halatek’s installations have remarkable immersive characteristics which are often the result of collaborations with quantum physicists, founders of the superstring theory (Leonard Susskind, Roger Penrose, Carlo Rovelli) and precision mechanical engineers.Karolina is interested in experiences that extend to the edge of human knowledge, seeking a visual language to evoke feelings and emotions of virtually unknown phenomena.
Karolina Halatek is an artist who has explored the theme of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) in her art installations. NDEs are a phenomenon in which people who have come close to death report having profound spiritual and psychological experiences, including visions of light, encounters with deceased loved ones, and feelings of peace and transcendence. Halatek’s art installations often focus on the psychological and spiritual dimensions of the light experience, using immersive and interactive elements to create a mindful sense of presence and shift the perception of the viewer. One of Halatek’s notable art installations on the theme of NDEs is „Terminal” which was exhibited at Ascents Light Art Festival in Stuttgart in 2016. The production of the installation was preceded by research based on the testimonies from Near Death Research Foundation in Houma, Louisiana, USA.
Keywords: light installation; immersive art; near death experience; sensory perception; contemporary memento mori