About
Artist Statement
Our world is in a constant flux. It is moving faster and faster.
Is it progress..or are we just going in a big circle, repeating cycles of history over and over again?
All we can be sure of is a constant movement.
And the never ending question:
Quo vadis?
Where are we going?
Where am I going?
Can we change direction?
Do we want to?
Should we try?
Does it matter where we came from?
Are we lost?
Is it fate, free will, or are we simply floating in an ocean of chaos?
Do we ever listen to our prophets?
And if we do, does it make any difference?
These are the questions and obsessions at root of my current practice that is a mix of heavy relief painting, sculpture, poetry and short stories.
In my most recent Time Travelers and Deus Aut Machina projects, I look at the clash of our human nature, culture, mythologies and spiritual hunger with technological progress that might destroy the world as we know it.
The work is not the answer. It’s an attempt to keep the questions alive, because once we stop asking them, once we stop paying attention all will be lost. And we might not even notice.
Bio
Hanna Rachocka was born in Poland in 1965, came of age at the height of authoritarian system there, in a city that became a center of anti communist resistance. Those experiences impacted her deeply and continue to inform the way she sees the world. She immigrated to the United States in 1990 and spent the next three decades practicing internal medicine before retiring in 2020 and returning to the visual arts in 2023.
Having spent much of her life studying the human body, she is now drawn to the anatomy of emotion.
Rachocka works across a mix of mediums including acrylic with heavily built impasto and relief, sculpture, poetry and short stories to give physical and psychological presence to emotional states and existential questions.
Curriculum Vitae
Professional Practice
Independent Studio ArtistTampa, FL
Solo Exhibitions
Give Thanks, Give BackCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FLSolo benefit exhibition supporting the Center.
Group Exhibitions
The Star Spangled Art ShowOldsmar City Hall, Oldsmar, FL
Vibrant Hues of FallThe Exhibiting Society of Artists, Tampa, FL
Student, Faculty, and Member ShowCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Pathways, Portals, and JourneysCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Origins and BeginningsCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
NarrativesCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
People, Places, ThingsCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Sky’s the LimitCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Pointillism & BeyondCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Student, Faculty Art ShowCarrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Awards
Third Place, Hands on Deck (mixed media)Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL
Curatorial Experience
Curator, Vibrant Hues of FallThe Exhibiting Society of Artists, Tampa, FLRegional group exhibition of more than 150 works.
Education
Doctor of MedicineMedical Academy of Gdańsk, Poland, 1990
Faculty Development Program for Clinical EducatorsJohns Hopkins University, 1997–1998