Agata Bogacka
Paintings

18.03–22.04.2017

Paintings is Agata Bogacka’s first solo show in Warsaw in six years. It explores the themes initiated by her exhibition in BWA Zielona Góra this January. It’s been a long time since Agata abandoned the figurative style she’s been known for. Her new paintings are built of geometrical figures alluding to a human face. These new works are also a sign of a radical shift in the artist’s philosophy. Color becomes the starting point; the painting is composed of solid colors and gradients. Generally speaking, Agata paints every piece as if her whole future life depended on it – at least that’s what she says.

Agata, is it really so?

Over the course of the years, the smooth surfaces of Agata Bogacka’s paintings have been subject to substantial changes. Texture appeared – an effect of successive layering of further versions of a painting. Underneath every painting hides another one, and another one. The artist doesn’t smoothen the brushwork; the gradients aren’t perfectly synthetic. Obviously I could make a reference to Fangor here, but then I would have to shoot myself. If I were to search for historical reference, I’d rather point to Kazimir Malevich’s geometrized renderings of Russian peasants.

Agata, speaking of these new paintings of yours, did you, just once, make a definitive decision that the painting was finished and you wouldn’t change it anymore? Do you think we’ll be repainting something on Saturday before the opening? I’d rather not.