Cezary Poniatowski

Cezary Poniatowski is a visionary artist who pushes the boundaries of traditional painting through his unique and innovative approach. Poniatowski finds great inspiration in the works of American artists, particularly Lee Bontecou and Tishan Hsu. Additionally, Poniatowski draws inspiration from the renowned Greek artist Jannis Kounellis.

Biography of Cezary Poniatowski

Cezary Poniatowski was born in 1987 in Olsztyn and currently lives in Warsaw, Poland. From 2012 to 2015, Cezary Poniatowski attended the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

Cezary Poniatowski has had an impressive solo exhibition career, showcasing his artistic talents and unique vision. Some notable exhibitions include Sesame, Bazaar Scavenger, Athens, Greece (2023); Sting, Clay.Warsaw, Warsaw; Together, Vanish, Warsaw (2022); Heavy Silence, Fonderia Battaglia, Milan; Relief Basilica di San Celso, Milan; Vaults and Swellings, Centre for Contemporary Art FUTURA, Prague (2021); Welcome to Itchy Truths, Stereo, Warsaw; Hearth, Jan Kaps, Cologne (2020); Hereafter, Mélange, Cologne / with Sami Schlichting (2019); Sick-box, Stereo, Warsaw; Guard JIL, Warsaw (2018); Eternal Lunch, Griffin Art Space, Warsaw / with Sławomir Pawszak; True Romance, Zona Sztuki Aktualnej, Szczecin / with Dominika Olszowy (2017).

Cezary Poniatowski's Art Style

Cezary Poniatowski's artistic practice predominantly operates at the intersection of representation and abstraction, blurring the boundaries between the two.

“
 My art serves as a distorting mirror that focuses on existential threads, where stories pulsate beneath the skin. The suspense is rooted in something hidden, denied, often unconscious.
Cezary Poniatowski

Poniatowski utilizes pleather, foam, staples, and tackers—materials derived from upholstery techniques. These elements form the foundation of his work, providing the basis for a multidimensional exploration of texture and form. While the resulting effect may appear irregular, dense, and untamed, Poniatowski often employs classic rectangular shapes, playing with the interplay of light and shadow, as well as the juxtaposition of organic and inorganic matter.

Cezary-Poniatowski-Anger-2020andnbspWschod
Cezary Poniatowski, Anger, 2020, Wschód

Voyeurism has remained a pivotal theme throughout Poniatowski's artistic journey, shaping the core of his creative expression. 

“
 This is where the motifs of peeping, looking, staring and the overall discomfort come from. My point is that looking does not always mean seeing, and this phenomenon becomes an axis of tension.
Cezary Poniatowski

Poniatowski's artistic pursuits are deeply influenced by the historical and social context of the socialist era in Eastern Europe. Many of his upholstery reliefs are crafted using an imitation leather material that was originally employed to cover the inside of front doors in residential buildings throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the socialist era. These reliefs evoke a sense of sound, yet they remain silent and deaf, as if the sound is trapped within them. The expressive composition of each artwork, along with the substantial presence of large-sized squat elements, can evoke resemblances to the sculptural manifestations of the socialist realism movement.

Cezary Poniatowski's Projects

Upon the culmination of his residency with the Razem Pamoja Foundation in Athens, Greece, Cezary Poniatowski undertook a site-specific intervention at the city's renowned flea market, Bazaar Scavenger. This sprawling marketplace serves as a final resting place for long-serving items, offering them a new lease on life.

Drawing upon his artistic practice, Poniatowski adeptly combines discarded objects, delving into their materiality and symbolic significance. In Athens, he directs his focus towards the cycle of decay that these items undergo, reflecting upon their initial purpose and ownership, only to be discarded and later rediscovered within this vibrant new context.

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