Freska (real name: Aleksandra Hałat)

Born in 1993 in Nowy Targ, Freska is a visual artist, painter, and art conservator.

She is a graduate of the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Kraków, where she earned her diploma with distinction in Visual Advertising (2013), and the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where she studied at the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art. In 2020, she completed her master’s degree with highest honors, presenting a thesis titled “An Outline of Jan Matejko’s Technique and Technology Based on the Portrait of Maria Pusłowska. A Copy. Contexts.”

She is currently in her fifth year of painting studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, working in the studio of Professor Mirosław Sikorski.

A two-time recipient of the Rector’s Scholarship for the Best Students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Freska has participated in over 20 group and solo exhibitions, both in Poland and abroad.

She has received numerous accolades, including recognition at the 1st National Painting Competition named after Krzysztof Grzesiak in Lębork (2022), and third prize at the Zofia Weiss Winter Salon of Young Artists (2021).

Freska’s artistic practice weaves together her background in art conservation with a painter’s sensitivity and a deeply personal visual language. Her work explores themes of human experience, intimacy, symbolism, and the hidden layers present both within imagery and the very substance of paint itself.

Przycisk i tekst
Her artistic journey can be divided into several phases.
The early period, marked by geometric forms and strong influences from the German expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter, stands out distinctly.
The time spent in the studio of her first mentor, Krzysztof Kabat, also left a significant mark on this stage of her artistic development.

Pursuing her studies in art conservation led her to adopt a vastly different artistic approach, enriching her painting skills with classical and historical techniques—from traditional icon painting and tempera, through 17th-century Dutch methods, to 19th-century academic and historical styles.
This culminated in her diploma project, which involved analyzing Jan Matejko’s painting techniques and creating a faithful copy of one of his works.
During this period, she also explored painting inspired by Polish colorism.

With the start of her second degree—this time in the Faculty of Painting—Freska's work took a new direction.
She began to develop a personal style that synthesizes her technical expertise and artistic intuition, combining figurative expression with a universal artistic language and a consistent return to the iconography of classical art.

Group and Solo Exhibitions
2024:
– 33rd "Nowotarskie Presentations", BWA Jatki Art Gallery, Nowy Targ (group exhibition)
2023:
– 6th Winter Salon of Young Artists, Zofia Weiss Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition)
– 32nd "Nowotarskie Presentations", BWA Jatki Art Gallery, Nowy Targ (group exhibition)
2022:
– Post-Competition Exhibition of the 1st National Painting Competition named after Krzysztof Grzesiak, Lębork (group exhibition – HONORABLE MENTION)
– Freska Verde, Emi Home Design, Nowy Targ (solo exhibition)
– Science and Art in the Service of Cultural Heritage Protection. End-of-Year Exhibition of Student Works and Art Objects in Historical Techniques, Jagiellonian University Museum Collegium Maius, Kraków (group exhibition)
– 5th Winter Salon of Young Artists, Zofia Weiss Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Displayed 20:21, Deccoria Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition)
2021:
– 4th Winter Salon of Young Artists, Zofia Weiss Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition – THIRD PRIZE)
2020:
– 3rd Winter Salon of Young Artists, Zofia Weiss Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Kwiatki, New Era Art Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition)
2019:
– Young in Dialogue, Kraków Cultural Forum, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Krakers Cracow Art Week – "Within Reach", Kraków (group exhibition)
– Partake, Dworek Białoprądnicki Cultural Centre, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Nosferatu – The Power of Fear, AST / ASP Promotional Gallery, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Puzzle 2019, Zalaegerszeg, Hungary (group exhibition)
– Traces, Kotłownia Gallery, Cracow University of Technology, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Am I Bothering You?, Second Floor Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts, Kraków (group exhibition)
2018:
– 200 Years of the Academy, 100 Years of the Women’s Academy, Cztery Ściany Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts, Kraków (group exhibition)
– Black & Gold, SDK, Nowy Targ (solo exhibition)
2016:
– Półokrąg, Ruczaj, Nowy Targ (solo exhibition)
2015:
– Post-Plein Air Exhibition, Cztery Ściany Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts, Kraków (group exhibition)
– ZSPiG, Czarny Dunajec (solo exhibition)
– GOK, Niedzica (solo exhibition)
2014:
– Best Diploma Works Exhibition, Palace of Art (Pałac Sztuki), Kraków (group exhibition)