Basia Smolnicki
Born 1961 in NZ to Polish parents. Basia completed a Visual Communication Design diploma at Wellington Polytechnic,1981 and a Postgraduate diploma in Printmaking from Camberwell School of Art and Craft, London, 1989. Recently she completed a Postgraduate diploma in Fine Arts at Massey University School of Fine Arts, Wellington 2007. She continues to teach printmaking and works from her home studio in Newtown producing works on paper and sandblasting designs on glass, mirror and metal. The imagery depicted in Basia’s work reflects her European connections hybridized with contemporary New Zealand culture. Myths and legends mix with local flora and fauna to create strange combinations of symbols that illustrate and explore Basia's personal sense of place and identity.