Andrew Cisowski, End result

gouache/paper 33 x 58 cm

Born in 1962 in Bialystok. Died in 2020.
In the early stages of his career, he was associated with the Neue Wilde movement; he exhibited in Warsaw's Dziekanka and Promocyjna - prestigious galleries gathering the Neo-Expressionist community - and in Krakow's Zderzak.

After moving to Germany (1987), he became interested in collage and comic book art. The culmination of this neo-pop period was the exhibition "Obrasy" presented at the Kordegarda Gallery in Warsaw (2004) and at the Bielska Galeria BWA (2006). In the series of paintings, the artist used colorful prints of industrial napkins and tablecloths, superimposing the figures of his characters on their surfaces, creating a specific kind of collage. Living in the countryside, in the Masurian town of Targow, caused a complete change in aesthetics. He created his almost monochromatic, semi-transparent compositions using old photographs in an original technique.

For Cisowski, "to create a work of art is to express a certain idea," which, however, was not the most important thing for him. The subject matter is also unimportant, as it results from changing interpretations. What matters is the form and the tension accompanying the attempt to combine seemingly irreconcilable elements of the surrounding reality.

"The performance must have an unusual, post-sensual atmosphere. For me, collages are the starting point for finding those contradictions that determine our lives."