Piniak Przemysław poszło w pięty

The first institutional exhibition of Przemyslaw Piniak, an intermedia artist who died prematurely. MSN shows his sketches, objects and paintings - including works on furniture fronts - not as a closed retrospective, but as a way into his exaggerated world, where shame and the fear of being judged are always present.

Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej on the exhibition:

Piniak Przemysław’s solo exhibition, featuring the prematurely deceased intermedial artist, is the first institutional attempt to take a broader look at his work. The exhibition’s creators follow the mythology he developed and his characteristic aesthetic of excess. The sketches, objects, paintings on canvas, and furniture fronts presented are not intended to create a complete retrospective. The exhibition title is the phrase ‘poszło w pięty,’ often used by the artist, which describes both Piniak’s way of functioning within the art world and the internalized feeling of shame and conviction of inevitable negative evaluation present in his work.

In the visual and textual narratives created by Piniak, exaggerated characters wander through a constantly decaying city, seeking solace in consumption. Here, every deviation from the norm means social condemnation, and the desire for visibility and celebration of one’s own status mixes with the experience of rejection and judgment by others. The exhibition will also include voices and interventions from the artist’s friends, to highlight the importance of relationships and communities in an art world focused on celebrating individuals.

Acrylic paint and marker on fabric. Courtesy of the artist’s family and Łęctwo gallery. Hleb Burnasheu, Yauheni Chernichenka, Marek Franczak, Aliaksander Plotski, Przemysław Pryciak, Paweł Sobczak, Marcin Szubiak Józefina Bartyzel, Anna Cygankiewicz, Przemysław Rydzewski, Iga Winczakiewicz, Olga Zawada Weronika Adamska, Agnieszka Gwiazdowicz, Jakub Drzewiecki, Agnieszka Strzeżek, Anna Zdzieborska

What to expect

The show brings together sketches, objects, and paintings on canvas and on furniture fronts - Piniak worked with materials like acrylic paint and marker on fabric. The title phrase “poszlo w piety” (roughly, “it went to the heels”) was one the artist used often; the curators read it as a key to his work and to how he operated in the art world, marked by shame and a conviction that negative judgment was inevitable.

In his visual and textual narratives, exaggerated characters drift through a constantly decaying city, looking for comfort in consumption, while the desire to be seen mixes with the experience of rejection. The exhibition also includes voices and interventions from the artist’s friends - a reminder that art grows out of relationships, not just individual names. It runs from 25 April to 23 August 2026.

Tickets, opening hours, and current details are on the Museum of Modern Art website.

Museum profile: Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej.