Tomasz Kręcicki Lifting, 2024
Oil on canvas
159 x 117 cm
The work is from a cluster of works representing the actual transport of big furniture and heavy appliances carried by large hands across simplified geometric shapes that we immediately know to be steps and staircases. Each of these works show us a detail which is recognized and quickly spins into our own associations with what might happen next: will the hand drop what it’s carrying, the fingers caught on some obstacle?
The actions the paintings depict give a vivid impression of what it means to move. The artist, who was anticipating his own move to another studio space when he conceived of the exhibition, seems to have spun out scenarios of such a relocation.
Despite the visual wit and playfulness often associated with the over life-sized scale of his motifs, Kręcicki’s subject matter remains inherently existential, addressing both contemporary politics and its repercussions on the individual. For Kręcicki, who lives in Poland, his move also brought to mind people who have to flee their homes, not in organized “moves” but in often traumatic escapes from home, workplace or country. He knows his is a choice, even a sign of improvement and greater freedom.
The actions the paintings depict give a vivid impression of what it means to move. The artist, who was anticipating his own move to another studio space when he conceived of the exhibition, seems to have spun out scenarios of such a relocation.
Despite the visual wit and playfulness often associated with the over life-sized scale of his motifs, Kręcicki’s subject matter remains inherently existential, addressing both contemporary politics and its repercussions on the individual. For Kręcicki, who lives in Poland, his move also brought to mind people who have to flee their homes, not in organized “moves” but in often traumatic escapes from home, workplace or country. He knows his is a choice, even a sign of improvement and greater freedom.