Cezary Poniatowski
12 – 18 June, 2023

Booth 35

LISTE
Messe Basel, Hall 1.1
Maulbeerstrasse / corner, Riehenring 113
4058 Basel, Switzerland

Preview day: Monday, June 12
Public days: Tuesday – Sunday, June 13 – 18

Poniatowski’s practice is preoccupied with the themes of nature, darkness, abundance, and viciousness. These themes are symptomatic of growing up in the so-called zombie socialism period, characterized by a hybrid of ritualistic anti-communist spells and a sudden, merciless neoliberal reality. As put by the artist – “With a bit of sardonic humor, my works reflect an attempt to recover from the dark times of helplessness and anxiety. Still, these feelings of unease, passed on by the previous generations, reoccur in our times of hyper-populism and technocracy”.

More from the artist:
The content of the works is accessible through the prism of memory, symbolism of materiality, distorted and inverted perspective. The suggested associations are here echoing my own experience, where I progressively build upon my remembrances, repressed or unconscious feelings triggered by the insolent familiarity of the materials and environment. The historical context of the socialist era in Eastern Europe, its collapse, and further transformation play a significant role in creating a feeling of weariness and defiance.

Cezary Poniatowski (born 1987, Olsztyn, PL) – lives and works in Warsaw.

In 2012 Poniatowski graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw where he received his MFA. His recent solo shows include: Sesame, Bazaar Scavenger, Athens, Greece (2022); Relief, Basilica di San Celso, Milan (2021); Vaults and Swellings, FUTURA – Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague (2021); Welcome to Itchy Truths, Stereo, Warsaw (2020); Hearth, Jan Kaps, Cologne (2020); Hereafter (with Sami Schlichting), Mélange, Cologne (2019). His recent group shows include: Inauguration, Lo Brutto Stahl, Paris (2023); A Glimpse of the Setting Remains, Clima Gallery, Milan (2022); Man’s Traces in Nature, Wschód, Warsaw (2022); Onsen Confidential, Kayokoyuki Gallery, Tokyo (2023); Metabolic Rift, Kraftwerk Berlin, Berlin (2021); All Worlds Are Flat, Blindside, Melbourne (2021); The Spirit of Nature and Other Fairy Tales. 20 years of The ING Polish Art Foundation, Silesian Museum, Katowice (2019); Nosztrómo, Ashes/ Ashes, New York (2019); Waiting for Another Coming, Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw (2018); Doors of Paradise, Union Pacific, London (2018); Friend of a Friend in Berlin, ChertLüdde, Berlin (2018).