Exhibition 2020

The exhibition of two series: “Lumen” (graphics) and “Roots” (drawings) presented forty seven works. It took place at the Prom gallery in Warsaw at the turn of 2020 and 2021.

The “Lumen” series was created between 2012 and 2019 and consists of 28 black-and-white graphics made in giclée (art print) technique, on acid-free, matt fine art paper, in a 70 x 50 cm format.
The history of these graphics is complex. In the early 80’s of the last century, during one of my trips to the “Gardzienice” Theater Practices Center, where my brother Tomasz has been active since its creation in the 70’s, I received permission to take pictures from the play “Awakum”. The performance took place in the outbuilding of the Polish Brothers Gardzienice Palace. The actors played in a small space, in the darkness illuminated by candles and torches. I managed to capture unusual poses and gestures emerging from the darkness of the characters. I took pictures with a Nikon camera using Ilford 400 ASA. Some time ago I found forgotten negatives and for two years I worked on them saving and retouching fading images. From selected fragments I created new spaces and compositions. It was not easy to find the right paper and printing method to finally get the velvet, deep black that dominates these works. Paweł Ciepielewski has provided me with invaluable help in this work.

Lumen is a unit of light output which determines the amount of light emitted by a given light source. I wanted to show how much so few lumens can do in the darkness that surrounds us.
In the performance commemorated by me they took part, among others: Olaf Henryk Andruszko, Mariusz Gołaj, Jadwiga Rodowicz, my brother Tomasz Rodowicz, Anna Zubrzycka, Sławomir Tomala, Chrystian Bredholt, Urlich Hardt.

“Roots” – the second cycle presented at the exhibition consists of twenty color drawings/graphics created in 2020 in 80 x 60 cm format, on Academia paper using pencil, crayons, pastels, gouache, coal, ink and watercolor and acrylics. This variety of means gave me unrestricted freedom in the realization of subsequent works of this cycle.

When we were locked in our homes in March this year, I decided to realize the idea that I had been preparing for many years. Nature has inspired me many times before in my work. This time I wanted to show its passing but also its strength. All my work lives in the world of abstraction, a sign taken from nature. For every tree the roots are holy, hidden under the ground give them life, exposed – they are a testimony of the power of nature. Invisible every day, the roots are one with the trunk and branches of the tree. They reveal the truth that what is visible often hides what is hidden. As we know, true wisdom lies in the ability to see what is hidden in the chain of events and in the awareness that what is invisible has a huge impact on what we experience.
Khalil Gibran – a Lebanese writer, poet and painter who worked in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century, wrote: “And if any of you would like to punish in the name of justice and put an axe to the tree of evil, let him also see its roots.

I would like to thank my wife Barbara, the first viewer of these works, for her support, my daughter Weronica for her help in creating the internet gallery, Jerzy Skolimowski and Bogusław Deptuła for their reviews of both cycles, Marek Brodzki and Ai Ase for their coverage of the exhibition opening and the film about the exhibition, Tomasz Taraszkiewicz for his help in arranging the exhibition, my sister Maria Rodowicz – a faithful translator, and above all, Saska Kępa’s PROM Director, Maria Juszczyk for her invitation to organize an exhibition of my works in this beautiful place.