Radek Szlaga (1979), COLONIES, from the series: ALL THE BRUTES, 2015

oil/canvas, 24 x 30 cm

Painter, printmaker, author of installations. Co-founder of the art group Penerstwo. Issues that the artist addresses in his work include colonialism and national and ethnic identity. He recently presented his engaged work in a major exhibition "Places I had no intention of seeing (2019/2020)" at the Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw. The painting on display belongs to the "All The Brutes" project. The realizations of this series refer to Joseph Conrad's short story "Heart of Darkness" (1899), whose place of action is the Congo, which belonged to the King of Belgium in 1885-1908. Another point of reference is the film adaptation of Conrad's work - "Apocalypse Now" (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola, who transferred the plot of the book to the reality of the Vietnam War. The title of the entire project was inspired by the publication "Exterminate All the Brutes" (1992) by Swedish journalist Sven Lindqvist. It is an analysis of the crimes committed by Europeans against the indigenous inhabitants of Africa. In the case of the painting "Colonies," the artist draws on Polish history and freedom symbolism, travestying the Solidarity sign. With this treatment Szlaga juxtaposes colonialism with nationalism, undermining the veracity and meaning of solidarity as a value.