Patryk Różycki. Transformation

A series of paintings in which Patryk Różycki returns to his own childhood and adolescence in the Polish countryside of the 1990s. Each canvas records one specific memory - his own, his family’s, his friends’ - and what came with poverty and exclusion after the transformation. The painting is plain, narrative, unadorned.

Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej on the exhibition:

The series of paintings addresses Różycki’s childhood and adolescence in the countryside, amidst economic and social exclusion related to the transformation of the 1990s, and the shame associated with it. Each work records a personal memory of a specific moment from the artist’s life, as well as that of his family and friends.

Among the main themes in Różycki’s works are class divisions and socio-economic inequalities. The artist deliberately employs the formula of narrative, simplified realistic painting.

Commenting on his paintings dedicated to his family, Różycki said: ‘By showing their difficult life stories, I wanted to return to reflecting on the complexity of relationships in our society. For a long time, many issues, such as a worse financial situation, taboos related to the presence of alcohol in the family, and origin, blocked me in adult life. Shifting the focus from myself, my feelings, to my loved ones, their stories, helps verify remembered reality, it helps me mature.’

What to expect

The exhibition consists of a series of paintings. Różycki works in a narrative, simplified realist mode - a deliberate choice on the artist’s part, not a shortfall of craft. The paintings tell stories, so you read them a bit like scenes: a specific moment, specific people, a specific place in the countryside.

The running theme is class division and socio-economic inequality. The starting point is the artist’s own experience - a childhood and adolescence spent in the economic and social exclusion that came with Poland’s transformation in the 1990s, and the shame that grew out of it. A good number of the works deal with Różycki’s family and friends.

The artist has explained that by showing the difficult life stories of the people close to him, he wanted to return to reflecting on the complexity of relationships in our society. He has spoken plainly about what blocked him for a long time in adult life: a worse financial situation, questions of origin, the taboo around alcohol in the family. Shifting the focus from himself to the stories of those close to him, he says, helps him verify remembered reality and helps him mature. Worth knowing before you go in - this is a quiet, personal show rather than a spectacular one, and that is how it rewards looking. Check ticket details and opening hours before your visit.

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

Museum profile: Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej.