The paintings of Polish artist Lukasz Dziedzic captivate us with their vividness. The chosen palette is somewhere expressively exaggerated, utilizing shades that are sometimes neon-like, and at times darkly subdued. We notice a pronounced gesture in the painting, admitting the nervous strokes of the brush and the layering of colored surfaces. The paintings make a strong impact, drawing the viewer’s gaze and pulling it closer. This attractive force is further developed by the content of the images, which predominantly feature figurative themes, displaying striking portraits or depicting some captured event. This realism and specificity have a further effect, as we want to decipher who is in the painting, why they are there, what is happening, and what it relates to. Herein lies another layer of Lukasz Dziedzic’s work.

The exhibition at the Emil Filla Gallery in Ústí nad Labem curatorially interweaves thematically diverse cycles of the author’s work, which, according to him, are not tightly closed units. In the back part of the gallery space, possibly a bit separately, cycles are presented that deal with the phenomenon of postcolonialism, perceived through the lens of a non-imperial country. The paintings of white “conquerors” of the black continent fully unleash the author’s sense for color and painting technique – they resemble overexposed photographs, with often faded yet still striking colors. A prominent corner of the gallery supplemented by strips of mirror foil is occupied by no less striking paintings depicting distorted faces, marked by emotions of fear, anger, terror, or ecstatic rapture.

An important part of the exhibition is the installation of portraits. Primarily smaller formats are specially adjusted so that the viewer can be face-to-face with them. The portraits are vividly painted, more color-subdued than other paintings in the exhibition. Some faces have Negroid features, possibly pointing us to the fact that they are associated with some important idea or theme. Some portraits may remind us of someone we may know – from newspapers, media, or memories. Some faces are obscured, as if unfinished, erased over time, or marked by a catastrophic life course.

This is what is most powerful about Lukasz Dziedzic’s paintings – they tell stories that we may not know in detail and yet it feels like we recognize them, perhaps even having experienced them ourselves.

On the Ruins of Tomorrow

24.05–15.07.2024
curator, text: Eva Imr Mráziková
exhibition architecture:
Tomáš Petermann
design: Tomáš Trnobranský
venue: Galerie Emila Filly, Ústí nad Labem, CZ