Tempo Rubato explores emotional connections of living in two countries and examines the concept of nationality and duality. Many of us who come from a different place must participate in a new culture. Coming from Poland and living in the US, I’ve experienced first-hand the importance of the sense of belonging and the connection to my roots.

Paper is the medium that I have chosen to work with for this project. It is continuously present in our life in one form or another. Usually unappreciated as a permanent material, it is however astonishingly durable, especially the mulberry paper with its long fibers and ability to bond. Paper’s long presence in many cultures, its versatility and adaptability, has been inspiring to me.

I have picked Fryderyk Chopin’s music as canvas for this project for the playful parallels and tensions, the connections of dark and light — opposites equally important to existence, life, and creative balance. His music has no boundaries; it’s timeless and connects people regardless where they live.

Fryderyk Chopin lived his youth in Poland and then worked in exile in France. His journey went full circle and in the end according to his wish, his heart came back to Poland to reside in the Bazylika Świętego Krzyża [The Church of the Holy Cross] in Warsaw where we read: Gdzie skarb twój tam serce twoje. [Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.]

Tempo Rubato [ˈtɛmpo ruˈbaːto] (free in the presentation, Italian for: stolen time) is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor.