This is my linocut installation, presented in a cylindrical form constructed
of a 552 cm (5,5 m or a 217,32 inches) linocut.
of a 552 cm (5,5 m or a 217,32 inches) linocut.
The whole work ( 552 x 94 cm) is divided into three pannels, so that it is possible
to print them under the printing press. The pannels are precisely designed to blend in seamlessly.
to print them under the printing press. The pannels are precisely designed to blend in seamlessly.
"Merry-go-round" was nominated to an award at XII Quadriennial of Polish Woodcut and Linocut in Olsztyn, Poland, 2019.
It was presented at some of the most important polish graphic art shows:
XII Quadriennial of Polish Woodcut and Linocut in Galeria Biura Wystaw Artystycznych in Olsztyn, Poland 12 XII 2019 – 26 I 2020 (picture atop).
X Biennial of Students Graphics in Arsenał Gallery at Main Square in Poznań, 2019.
Panel „Hazard” ("Casino") was shown at X Triennial of Polish Graphics at Rondo Sztuki Gallery in Katowice, Poland, 2018.
The work was created as my Master Diploma at Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, under the supervision of prof. Janusz Akermann.
Photographs 1 and 8 were taken by Ewa Staśkiewicz [Ewa Staśkiewicz on Behance]. Thank you so much!
Rest of the photographs by me.
For those of you who are not familiar with the linocut technique I add a quick description: to create the image, you have to get a sheet of lino and cut away all the parts, lines and dots, for which you want to have the background colour: is is white in black and white pictures, or is it the colour of the previously printed layer. In the colour linocut using reduction method, you first cut away the colour of the paper, or of the previously printed background layer, then you dry your print for at leat one day, and carve the next layer to print over the same set of already printed papers. Then you repeat that process, and your matrix shrinks, until it only has the last colour's design on it: a bunch of holes, lines, dots, and hills. It is not possible to create more images than the firstly printed set of papers with the first layer on them, as your matrix disappears in the process. The picture above is a photo of the matrix at the first stage of cutting my big size linocut. It is a close up of the sky at the picture down the description.
The concept of the artwork is to interfere with the observant's trajectory of movement, by showing him the artwork piece by piece, not all at once. The cylindrical form hence forms the movement around, and is metaphorical itself, as the pictures shown on the installation loop. Starting from the one depicting early morning outside, the observant passes through a dormitory to enter the casino-like space full of creatures playing games. That the leads him back to the early morning, seemingly leaving him in the same, already known space, but in fact letting him rediscover it with its nuances, concentrate this time on the way it is done.
The main heroes of the artwork are the fantastic creatures. They don't seem like humans, but they capture the emotions, feelings and actions, without pointing directly to the portraid people. This is the way that lets me talk about the world visually in a more universal way.
This is how it looks all connected:
And this is the matrix at the end of the process.
