Seeing Things in 2D with Alicja Jasina

​Alicja Jasina’s 2D animation stands out from the crowd in a sea of 3D animation and bombastic VFX. The hand drawn aesthetic, Alicja applies to her work feels profound and emotive, simplistic in its nature but layered in its storytelling capabilities.

Her works starts with a line and a line can take us on many journeys, showing us new worlds and introducing us to new characters and over the years Alicja’s body of work has taken us on one hell of a trip. Her distinctive way of thinking about storytelling, and viewing the line as a medium has captivated audiences from all around the globe, not to mention getting shortlisted for an Oscar (no biggie) for her short film 'Once Upon a Line.'

Her unique voice as an artist translates into her commercial output, applying her wizardry to big name brands like Google, Disney and Airbnb. There’s a sense of a throughline throughout her filmography that most auteur directors would be envious of, no matter the brand or the brief her style shines brightly. Alicja doesn’t throw everything at you with overwhelming visuals instead applies a less is more attitude using space and colour to make her characters and worlds pop, often times using a white background to give a doodle-like quality to her images, that allows shapes to bop and move almost like musical notes coming to life.

Alicja’s style

To see more of her work click here​

Alicja’s style grew out of her personality as much as her practice. She prefers to say less, but says it precisely, gravitates toward empty space, whether in her apartment, her wardrobe, or her frames — space that allows her (and others) to focus, to breathe. She works quickly, almost impatiently, rarely lingering on a single drawing.

Alicja said this about her process, “Back in school, I realised that in animation this could be a strength: simple designs leave more room for expressive movement, especially when resources are limited. For me, the process matters just as much as the outcome, and there’s something deeply satisfying in letting the final piece retain the looseness of a sketch. Often drifting between realism and abstraction, I use minimalism to create a kind of visual pause.”.

In an overstimulated world, her line becomes a breather — a moment of stillness in motion. She explored this idea recently in Liminality, a group exhibition on saturation and sensory overload, on view in Warsaw until May 29th.