Małgorzata Gorzelewska-Namiota ‘Eat Properly: From the History of Feeding at Home’

What we hear at the table stays with us for life. Most often, these are phrases used by parents and grandparents to encourage a child to eat. A spoonful of milk soup turns into a little aeroplane, ready to land in the toddler’s mouth. Over time, playful remarks take on a harsher tone and turn into threats. Rather than eating their meals, picky eaters swallow comments about their appearance and their parents’ manipulations. The remarks heard in childhood have a destructive impact on children. Forcing them to eat is a form of abuse and can have devastating consequences for both body and mind. A small stomach must accommodate not only too much slowly cooling soup, but above all, a massive load of adult fear, anger and frustration.

exhibition opening: 27 November 2026 (Friday), 7:00 p.m.
where: Galeria Labirynt 2, ul. Grodzka 3, Lublin
language: opening in Polish; Polish Sign Language interpreting by Jolanta Gromada
exhibition runs until 31 January 2027 (Tue–Sun, 3:00–7:00 p.m.)
free entry

The abuse of coercive feeding kills natural instinct. Many of these phrases linger in the memory for years; some haunt us for the rest of our lives. A person raised this way can no longer eat intuitively: they eat out of obligation, in response to stress, in advance or as a reward for life’s setbacks. Years later, the voice of the parent who once insisted on that last mouthful turns into an inner critic who drives eating disorders.

Experiences of being fed can reverberate across generations. Breaking this toxic legacy requires us to pause and reflect on our own story. This happens when we can accept our child’s unfinished cutlet with calm, without feeling like a personal failure. By allowing our child to leave the table on their own terms, we break the toxic relay and effectively protect them from the burden of our own fears.

I began working on the project ‘From the History of Feeding at Home’ in 2024, and it currently comprises around 70 unique plate-objects. I decided to draw on my own experiences and my friends’ stories. I began writing down phrases heard at mealtimes and placing them on the plates, weaving them into their ornaments. I supplemented the family dinnerware, collected with sentimental attachment, with plates from friends and others bought at flea markets. These seemingly beautiful objects evoke the warmth of the family home, but upon closer inspection, they reveal another side. Looking more closely, we notice the often hurtful message, which was thoughtlessly served to us along with our meals for years.

Małgorzata Gorzelewska-Namiota studied painting and printmaking at the Faculty of Arts of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin. In 2008, she graduated with a master’s degree in printmaking. In 2012, she began pursuing a doctoral dissertation in painting under the title ‘Scraps of Memories: Forms of Recording the Past’ under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Baj at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She received a degree of Doctor of Fine Arts in the field of visual arts in the discipline of fine arts in 2014. On 11 March 2024, the Research Discipline Council of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw awarded her the post-doctoral degree in the field of art in the discipline of visual arts and art conservation. She currently holds the position of university professor in the Department of Intermedia at the Faculty of Arts at UMCS.

She has participated in over 130 group exhibitions in Poland and abroad (Malaysia, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Macedonia, China, Hungary, Romania). She has organised 15 solo exhibitions. Her awards and distinctions include an Honourable Mention at the 7th International Biennial of Miniature Art in Częstochowa (2012); First Prize at the Young Artists’ Biennial – Fine Arts in Radomsko (2012); the President of the Bydgoszcz District of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (ZPAP) Award at the 2nd Leon Wyczółkowski National Painting Competition in Bydgoszcz (2016); the Mayor of Radom Award at the National Art Biennial – 44th Winter Salon in the Mazovian Centre for Contemporary Art ‘Elektrownia’ in Radom (2016); the Grand Prix at the 1st International Art Biennale ‘Contexts’ in Struga Palace (2026); ‘Best of Show’ Award at the Open International Juried Art Competition in NOMA Gallery (Ocala, Florida).

Her works are held in public and private collections in Poland and abroad. She paints and creates objects and installations. Her works are marked by a personal theme. She explores, among others, topics related to motherhood, the impact of childhood on the formation of personality and intergenerational heritage.