On the Planet Next Door: Emilia Waszak and Piotr Banaszkiewicz
19 December 2024 - 28 January 2025
Olympic Centre, Gallery -1, Wybrzeże Gdyńskie 4, Warsaw
The exhibition is free to enter and available daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
On the Planet Next Door: Emilia Waszak and Piotr Banaszkiewicz
The exhibition "On the Planet Next Door" revolves around energy, balance, and magic, beautifully emphasized by the recurring presence of the moon in Piotr Banaszkiewicz's paintings. To revisit Jewish culture, one cannot overlook the significance of the full moon, considered a time of spiritual power and intensified energy. Unlike the Sun, the moon does not generate its own light but reflects the Sun's radiance, symbolizing the acceptance of divine wisdom and brilliance in Jewish Kabbalah. During a full moon, this reflection is seen as an amplification of spiritual energy, accessible primarily during this celestial phase.
In Banaszkiewicz’s works, the moon often serves as the backdrop for Emilia Waszak's compositions, where graceful and charming creatures take on diverse forms, evoking bedtime stories. As the beloved Polish character Miś Uszatek once advised children, "It's bedtime now because the moon is shining." Within mystical realms, under the glow of the moon, amidst tables laden with sweets, surrounded by delightful beings, and accompanied by the melodies of a lute, the exhibition invites us to explore fantastical worlds.
To immerse ourselves in the artists' narrative, we must set aside the mundane and step into the titular "next door," a playful transformation of reality through ideas and symbols. While Emilia Waszak's and Piotr Banaszkiewicz's works differ significantly in tone, color palettes, themes, and composition, together they form an almost encyclopedic collection of fantasy.
