A solo exhibition of new paintings by Polish artist, Marcin Maciejowski.

Schooled at the Krakow Art Academy, Maciejowski was a founding member of Gruppa Ladnie / The Pretty Group, a student collaborative that garnered attention for incorporating the geography and social fabric of the city. Gruppa Ladnie presented their work in unusual locations such as empty suburban lots, city billboards and historic landmarks. As well, the artists created fanzines, comics magazines and compilation tapes to disseminate their work. Gruppa Ladnie soon gained international recognition, spawning the success of such artists as Wilhelm Sasnal and Rafal Bujnowski as well as Maciejowski.

Marcin Maciejowski’s paintings are odd. Imbued by an aesthetic influenced by his study of Graphic Arts and printmaking, the work employs flat, two dimensional imagery culled equally from mass media, pop culture and art history. For this series of paintings, the artist continues his exploration of male identity, religion and public policy from a perspective that both highlights and transcends Polish post-Soviet perspective.

Often blocky and matter-of-fact, the paintings present what at first glance may appear to be banal scenes from contemporary life, but they exude a delight in the sensual qualities of painting. In the works, scenes appear as if interrupted mid-sentence, or perhaps as snippets of stories wafting in and out of earshot at the neighborhood pub. There are a few clues as to what led up to the moment depicted, and no hints as to what may occur in the future. In this way, the paintings are a stream-of-consciousness communication, immersing the viewer immediately into a work that is at once familiar, and yet somehow different. A parallel experiential universe is uncovered, appealing to the viewer through oblique and sometimes absurd humor that belies an often stinging social critique.

Marcin Maciejowski’s work has appeared in “Nation,” at the Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt am Main, Art Basel 35 Statements, and the National Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow. He has had solo exhibitions at galleries such as Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna and Marc Foxx Gallery in Los Angeles. This is his first solo exhibition in New York City. Marcin Maciejowski lives and works in Krakow, Poland.