Cyryl Polaczek, Sette mesi
Paintings usually take time. You might finish some in a few days, but for me, it takes weeks or months. It is warm June now, but I painted these during the cold season. Maybe you can tell, maybe not. I found some autumn leaves outside the studio, brought them inside, and painted them scattered on white paper. I often buy fish at a nearby market to arrange still lifes—trouts, sea basses, and prawns. I painted one contemplating prawn over an imaginary seascape. I create these scenes, imagine the sea, or just paint what catches my eye, like Martyna’s violet shoes lying around in her next-door studio.
Cyryl Polaczek
Cyryl Polaczek (1989, Zielona Góra, PL) lives and works in Kraków, PL. He studied Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk (2008 – 2010), at the Universität der Künste, Berlin (2013) and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Kraków (2010 – 2014). Together with Karolina Jabłońska and Tomasz Kręcicki, he co-founded Galeria Potencja, an artist-run space in Kraków. Recent solo exhibitions include: 2026 – ADA, Rome, IT; Super Super Markt, Berlin, DE; Coulisse Gallery, Stockholm, SE. 2024 – Galeria BWA, curated by Franciszek Smoręda, Zielona Góra, PL; Clay.Warsaw, PL. 2022 – Galeria Monopol, Warsaw, PL. 2021 – James Fuentes Online, New York, US; Galeria Potencja, with Martyna Kielesińska, Kraków, PL. 2020 – Galeria Dobro, Olsztyn, PL. 2018 – Galeria Potencja, Kraków, PL. Recent group exhibitions include: 2025 – Linseed, Shanghai, CN; MOCAK, Kraków, PL; BRAUNSFELDER, Cologne, DE; The National Museum in Poznań, curated by Maria Gołąb and Agnieszka Skalska, PL; Gdańska Galeria Miejska 1, PL; Galeria Monopol, Warsaw, PL; Centre for Contemporary Art, Toruń, PL. 2023 – Gdańska Galeria Miejska, curated by Gabriela Warzycka-Tutak and Andrzej Zagrobelny, Gdańsk, PL; Esther Schipper, Berlin, DE; SKALA, curated by Gabi Skrzypczak and Filip Til, Poznań, PL; Galeria BWA, Bielsko-Biała, PL. He received the Young Poland Scholarship Programme from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2024; he was awarded the Grand Prize in the 11th Hestia Artistic Journey competition in 2012.