Your work merges Baroque tenebrism, Christian iconography, and pop culture. What draws you to these seemingly contrasting influences?
I base my work on references and quotations. I use symbolism and themes which had been present in art for centuries, but I reach for them and translate them in my own way. This symbolism is like the language passed through time and a tool to express something beyond the visual. I believe those references enable me to continue the never-ending dialogue between all the artists who have ever lived before and those who will create in the future. Symbolism and archetypes, the forever-relevant themes, let me touch on something universal. In my works, I focus on obsession, passion and intensity, mainly in love and religion. Both religion and love hold an overwhelming power, and passionate love appears very similar to religious obsession. That’s why I immerse myself in Christian symbolism and transport it to my own world, and create my transformed iconography that combines these two opposing themes. I look for the same qualities in the contemporary – the opulence, glamour, and shiny images breaking through the screens. In a similar way, all these objects I paint, like shiny jewels or sequins on a dress, have indescribable transcendence. Just like church ornaments and devotional items.
You often explore female archetypes, particularly through the figure of Mary. How do you reinterpret her image within a contemporary context?
In my process, I ask questions about femininity and archetypes such as the pure Mother of God and the prostitute, her extreme opposite. I always struggled with a dualistic view on life, also in the context of femininity, the split and shame following it. I understood this is the echo of a religious upbringing in a country with strong religious beliefs. And this dualism is internalised in my own judgement, so I give voice to both Madonna and the prostitute in order to integrate them. I explore the subject of passion, love and ecstasy with a focus on the physicality of those experiences.
You seek inspiration in both provincial temples and religious processions. Can you share any particular experience or imagery that left a strong impression on you?
It’s the nostalgia, the imagination of the absolute, the overwhelming energy of something powerful. The fear of God and the obsession. And the authenticity in the small churches, the ruins and rusty, old frescoes barely holding onto the walls. That stimulates my imagination. I love to find myself in an empty church. I also love to observe the passionate crowds during religious processions. And the theatralisation and dramatism it presents. For the first time ever, I was moved by a procession in the church in Kraków, where I discovered an Archconfraternity of the Passion of the Lord, the procession led by the brotherhood of good death. The brothers carried the insignia of the Passion of the Lord and supported themselves with staffs topped with skulls. This event impacted me so strongly, the long tradition dating back to the XVI century and the mystery, the Latin prayer, the costumes. This was my gateway to other, similar experiences. So I went to Spain, Andalusia, where the processions are led for a whole week on a huge scale. And for the third year now, I observe the processions of the Holy Week, Semana Santa. It’s an absolutely wonderful, dramatic, and inspiring event where streets are full of people, echoing with prayers, trumpets, and the smell of candles. Crowds of men holding huge platforms supporting the decorated sculptures of saints and crucifixes. A beautiful spectacle where I saw people being so deeply moved by observing the figures of Mother Mary, crying over her, trying to touch her, kissing her. Others sprinkled flowers on her from the balconies, screaming and singing.
Your works often intertwine religious and erotic themes. What conversations or tensions do you hope to evoke by placing these elements side by side?
I want to blur the line between what is sacred and ’unholy’. I wish to elevate the erotic ecstasy to the transcendence, to create a space where it can be as holy as the figures of saints depicted in Renaissance paintings. Just like the case of St Therese by Bernini. I follow this path by understanding the erotic theme within the religious obsession. Both are contradictory but share almost identical traits, such as absolute depth, love and, in a sense, madness. I have always been fascinated by the intensity of both of these experienced types of ecstasy and devotion that elevate a person to a certain transcendental level. And just as I mentioned earlier about the dualism on which the culture derived from Christianity is built, as a result, I base myself on the search for these dualities and integrate them into my works.
I use an identical procedure in presenting objects. I paint religious or ritualistic objects and compare them with champagne glasses full of bubbles, chalices, and chandeliers. I present them in almost the same way, bathed in the light, which by itself carries a deep symbolism. I want to elevate my shadow. So I elevate everything that might seem dirty and standing in opposition to purity or holiness.
In your opinion, what does contemporary sacral art lack?
I don’t follow it, it’s a dying genre since we have been secularised, and that’s great news. I think we need to accept the fact that it will probably never be powerful, and definitely the Catholic Church needs to accept it too. They try to bring it back to life with a disappointing effect. But as an observation, as a phenomenon, it’s something really fascinating and a great meme source. I don’t think sacral art has much relevance nowadays.
You’ve been recognised in multiple competitions and residencies. How have these opportunities shaped your artistic development?
I understood that all I want to do is paint and research. This urge to paint pushed me even more to travel and to connect exploration with the intensive studio work, although I don’t have my fixed spot, I move from one city or country to another, with my paints and brushes in my backpack. I’m happy things are moving. Although the flow of opportunities is unpredictable, each exhibition, residence, and performance is a lesson and a possibility to expand.
