Marcin Kowalik – „Michał Kowalik”

The cycle of paintings entitled „Michał Kowalik” consists of two parts. The first part is comprised of the works painted by my father, Michał Kowalik, in 1986; the second one – of my paintings from 2007 which refer to his works.

The origin of the cycle goes back to 2006 when I exhibited one of my father’s paintings, “a level crossing”, together with my own works at several exhibitions (Irydion – Warsaw, Ateneum Młodych – Warsaw, Scrabata Gallery – Leipzig and Focus Festival – Goerlitz, Germany). Another painting of Michał Kowalik took part in a collective exhibition entitled “16 things which mat have not been found” in Artpol in 2007.

My father’s paintings have been a part of my consciousness since my childhood. I have perceived them as simple signs. I was five when they were painted. It was not easy to complete all the paintings form the cycle, as my father gave away some of them to his friends and relatives. I found the other ones in the attic.

These paintings are quite enigmatic. At first glance they seem to refer to surrealism, but to me, as I grew up with them, they have constituted the same reality as any other.

I feel much attached to them and therefore I wanted to depict the world of the elements from my father’s painting that has existed in my mind.

Marcin Kowalik