Maciej Swieszewski (b. 1950 Sopot), from the series 'Metamorphoses', 2022

oil, canvas, 140 X 210 cm, signed p.d.: 'M. Swieszewski 2022'

In his latest series of paintings, Prof. Maciej Swieszewski explores the limits of abstraction and enters the ground he calls abstract realism . It is an attempt to dialogue with reality and the unstable world, which undergoes dynamic transformations.
- I think this is the most appropriate language to try to face the present. Art should measure itself against reality, especially the kind of reality we live in now," says Swieszewski.
The artist's imagination poured onto large-format canvases seems to have no limits. The colorful fantasies and explosions of paint have a taste of the psychedelic. The paintings captivate the viewer with color clashes and fluidity. They seem to be undergoing metamorphoses right before our eyes at this very moment. The new works are a consequence of Swieszewski's earlier drawing experiments, which he conducted in the previous decade. The artist was greatly influenced by the trips he made to Far Eastern countries, especially China and Cambodia.
- The new series is a logical consequence of my earlier explorations. I am trying to explore new areas. I am entering the ground of, I would call it, abstract realism. In these works, by the way, the spirit of Gdansk, the cities with which I have been connected almost all my life, is contained in a way. The spirit of freedom and liberty. Of unfettered expression," concludes the artist.

Artist and academic teacher. Since his student days, he has been associated with the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, where he has run a graduate studio for three decades. He has shown his works in Belgium, China, the United States, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, among others. He is the author of famous paintings such as "Dead Class" (1989) and the shocking "Armenia" (2015) dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. He is most often associated with "The Last Supper" (1995-2005), which has been in the arrivals hall of Gdansk airport since 2016. In 2022, the painting was named one of the ten most important works of the last three decades by the weekly magazine "Polityka".