Mala Gallery
8, Zamkowy Sq., Warsaw (Old Town)
July 1-31, 2003
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
OR the Nature the human being is only one of its unnumerable forms. From the man’s perspective this form is the most important and indispensable whereas from the Nature’s point of view it is not necessary and - like it is in case of many other species - submitted to process of evolution. In constantly repeating rite of transubstantiations consisting of birth, life and death everything is submitted to everlasting metamorphosis in which the only unchangeable element is materia prima from which our world once came into existence. It is this materia prima or rather capturing its metaphysical appearance and vanishing that fascinates Pawel Maciak in his intriguing photographic series „Metamorphosis of the matter”. The artist confronts us with simple metaphysical truths which - as we can judge from the fact of falsifying or rather softening them by the language of the culture - are not welcomed companions of our everyday lives in form of awareness, as indispensable truth of existence.
On contrary, we try to deny the presence of death in many ways - by its aesthetisation, by following certain cultural patterns and not following other (e.g. the cult of power, youth and ideal body). Birth, life and death as we can see them on the photographs of Maciak constitute the process of biological growth based on constant eating, swallowing and mutual absorption of forms. There goes a parallel process of decay and dying and there is also present hope of returning to sources, to origins of the process - the hope for transubstantiation into the subsequent form that is also belonging to the Nature. Maciak in order to define his sharpness of vision creates compositions full of metaphysical tension, he attracts our attention to moments of appearance of these points of reflection which are stuck somewhere at the border line between life and death. A pretext for this can be body of dead bird encountered on a road, a touch of the soil, sight of decaying food which we were not able to eat in time. The artist tries to capture with his camera unwanted pictures which we usually try to shun considering them to be non-aesthetic, needless, lacking any form. It is really so because according to Heidegger they ovewhelm us with „metaphysical dread”, they fill us with panic horror of annihilation of all senses that human life consists of. Perceiving of microcosm means not only a penetrating analysis of living forms but also of their dead form, forms and shapes of the matter which we seem safely not to perceive because of danger of de-construction of senses. This way we have, on one hand, almost analytical, scientific-like photographs which confront us with expression of „impersonal” content and on the other hand many of these pictures emanate intense desire to find some symbolic dimension of their own existence. At this point finds its way the narrator’s subjectivity who’s discreet presence is in some of these photographs seen in the form of his hand or fragment of his face.
The series „Metamprphosis of the matter” of Pawel Maciak is dedicated to the biological aspect of life which uses body language the reasons of which are sometimes contradictory to the will shaped by brain. They undoubtedly express dramatic aspect of human existence. This cruel biologism is seldom experienced by the artists immersed in the world of commercial art. Here commercial means a form that is beautiful, aesthetizing, generally needed and accepted.
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
The works of Pawel Maciak that make together „The Metamorphosis of the matter” series have a universal dimension. They present human being as one of the elements of the process, deprived of cultural framework and in a way existing beyond specific place and time. Human being deprived of cultural properties becomes more similar to other organisms, when captured in symbiosis with these organisms and submitted to the same natural laws it becomes suspended beyond good and evil, beyond moral valuations and other categories contrived by man.
The life as presented in these works is reduced to necessity of finding food and delivering energy indispensable for decay. In this respect to desist from continuation of these activities or to raise any revolt may mean ending with illness or death. Metaphysical dimension of absorption and excretion can be observed in persistently repeated close ups of the mouth eating and breathing and also in these works that show how this food undergoes transubstantiation into another form that is lacking precise shape yet. The views of decaying leftovers coexist with images of fragments of nature better formed but similiarly lifeless - suffice it to take a look at the picture of dead moths and flies. It is interesting that we do not feel such fear when looking at dead fern leaves or halved onion. Observing from human perspective how the new form emerge, how the transubstantiation (and decay) is being continued was always cognitive process, different were only conclusions drawn from these observations and different was shape of thoughts that were recorded during these observations.
This time the artist is drawing us into process of participation in his own research and leaves formulation of conclusions to our own sensitivity and mental condition.
Jolanta Ciesielska
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
Fot. K. WojciechowskiPawel Maciak
born 1969
Photographer, painter, graphic artist. His main interest is macrophotography and portraiture.
Graduated from Graphics and Painting Department of the State Higher School of Visual Arts in Lodz.
In 1990 graduated from the Teachers’ College in Warsaw (Art Education)
From 1990 to 1991 studied at the Art Education Department of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska Uniwersity in Lublin.
1996 received graduation diploma of prof. A. Bartczak woodcut studio.
Studied also photography, painting and typography.
Individual exhibitions:
1997 - „Hold your tongue, please”, Galeria LTF, Lodz
1998 - „Pigeons are hovering according to Pawel Maciak”, Pub „Lodz Kaliska”, Lodz
1999 - „Conjugation”, Forum Fabricum, Lodz
2000 - „54 Photographs”, Forum Fabricum, Lodz
2000 - „Conjugation”, Mózg, Bydgoszcz
2000 - „Open country”, Mózg, Bydgoszcz
2002 - „First love”, Galeria Manhattan, Lodz
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
Pawel Maciak: "Metamprphosis of the matter"
Mala Gallery Warsaw, July 2003
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02 - 07 - 2003
