Unknown

Artistic activity occupies the entire lifespan of an artist. It is obvious that this activity is not limited to physical contact with the work, but it is also impossible to define the exact beginning of a work. There exists a certain pleasant illusion, as if one could encompass a painting and appreciate its value with a single glance. Władysław Strzemiński wrote that visual creativity is spatiotemporal, evoking the process of seeing color through the artist’s eye as an act related to a multi-perspective view of reality, not so much three-dimensional, but time-conditioned, repeated, hours-long, and years-long observation. Conscious looking. Just as the creative process takes place in time, viewing a painting is not simply “seeing” but rather a process of viewing with a certain temporal extension, which conditions the layering of gazes, one upon another, merging into a unified process of looking.

The ninth installment of the cyclical UNKNOWN project, a showcase of artists whose work redefines the boundaries of vision and the way of thinking about painting, centers around the theme of structure. UNKNOWN is an experimentation with the language of painting and its history. Initially, linearity and color in all their richness and diversity were the primary formal elements; in this manifestation, elements of relief take on prominence. This shift to a different type of visual awareness allows for the construction of a new, unfamiliar realm of formal means. Attention is focused on the convex form, capable of expressing three-dimensional spatial relationships. UNKNOWN presents us with various types of structures in paintings, but also relief in sculpture. Some are achieved through layering paint, as in the work of Radim Koros or Samuel Kłoda, where the shape of an object is interpreted through the density of lines in a rhythmic arrangement. Others are constructed by integrating elements from various materials into the painted image, as in the work of Tomek Baran. Maciej Pęcak creates structure through his signature technique of integrating a wood-dust-based mass into the image. The possibilities are likely endless, so this exhibition doesn’t even attempt to be a review; rather, it’s a discussion, an inquiry. The works, shown together for the first time, in a sense convey a sensitivity to the fragility of their new combination. Images and objects remain in a realm of uncertainty. They require multiple perspectives, a shared journey, revealing their new facets with each viewing.

In many cases, the viewer can’t even be sure they’ve correctly identified the subject. This creates a sense of a relationship of uncertainty between the image and the viewer, likely born during the artist’s creative process. The essence is the unknown. Don’t rush. Take your time.

Maria Ciborowska