In the Apolonia’s Garden series, Pola Dwurnik introduces the fictional character of the witch Alcina for the first time. The artist portrays her former boyfriends as animals, using this metaphor to explore and reflect on her past relationships.

The series draws inspiration from Orlando Furioso, the heroic epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poem, the enchantress Alcina lives on a magical island where she transforms her former lovers into plants and animals. The concluding painting, Apolonia’s Dream Garden, presents a self-ironic vision of the future and an “animal” erotic fantasy.

The series was presented in Pola Dwurnik’s solo exhibition Apolonia’s Erotic Garden at the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków (29 June–30 September 2012). A catalogue was published to accompany the exhibition.