Wahadło 2020

Curator: Lech Jankowski created this artwork, titled 'Wahadło,' in 2020. It is crafted as a matter-painting, primarily using oil paints, fitting within the broader context of abstract expressionism. Editor: Immediately, I notice this profound sense of texture and a kind of gravitational pull toward the lower center. It’s quite heavy, both in tone and apparently in material. Curator: It’s fascinating to consider the political undercurrents within abstraction, especially in contemporary Polish art. Post-communism, artists often navigated a space between state control and complete freedom of expression. An abstract piece like this provides a form of resistance, or at least ambiguity, during politically turbulent times. Editor: Right, but consider the labor involved. This isn't just slinging paint. You can almost feel the artist physically wrestling with the material. The heavy impasto, the scraping, it speaks to a direct, physical engagement – the making itself becomes part of the content. It’s also referencing Arte Povera tendencies to show the ‘poor’ and often rejected material within fine art making. Curator: I wonder how the artist situates themselves relative to established norms and institutional validation, for instance is he positioning his work within or against existing collections and the existing market for abstract art. Editor: Well, that circle and suspended bead almost evoke a pendulum; ‘Wahadło’ means pendulum. Think about that relentless back and forth. And is that balance that the piece achieves or rejects through its form? How do the properties of the material make us conscious of temporality in making and of social dynamics within consumption of painting. Curator: These points enrich my perspective and compel a closer look at the title and composition; that tension is critical, indeed. Editor: Absolutely, engaging with its physical construction and history illuminates its conceptual layers. It forces one to understand its contemporary function but only if considered within a larger historical context and market structure.