“The fact that things are not easy for us does not exempt us from empathy” a conversation with Jarosław Lisicki

I think it started when I was flipping through the album Sister Wendy’s 1000 Masterpieces and came across Hans Memling’s painting “The Last Judgment,” which made a huge impression on me (although I have never seen it in person). Later, I attended an art high school specializing in visual advertising, where I fell in love with the Polish poster tradition. I wanted to become a poster artist, but I was rejected twice from graphic design programs and eventually became a painter.

Mainly about the passing of thoughts and identity. I try to depict people in motion, though not in an idealized or picturesque way, but rather in a deformed form, with the intention of capturing a person from multiple perspectives, causing the figures to dissolve, blur, and extend beyond their contours. That is why I often distance myself from giving precise descriptions of my works, because their context feels fluid to me. I prefer using keywords or very reduced descriptions of my paintings’ subjects, which also tend to change frequently. While painting, or after finishing a work, I do not cling rigidly to its meaning. I give myself and the viewer a great deal of interpretative freedom.

The goal of my works is to make people aware of how terrible things are for us and that, because of this, we should help one another rather than make life even harder.

I do not have one single most important or groundbreaking painting; each of them is important to me or represents some kind of turning point. Of course, sometimes I like one work more than another, but that depends on the day.

Which contemporary artist do you admire?

I do not have one favorite artist, but rather a small group of artists whom I particularly admire: Marlene Dumas, Ambera Wellmann, Anselm Kiefer.

  

Quite spontaneous. Most paintings are created under the influence of emotions and the initial idea; only rarely do I make sketches. While painting, I give myself a lot of freedom and do not rigidly stick to the original concept. I am curious myself to see which direction the painting will take. For some works, I document the painting process photographically, and from a time perspective it is fascinating to see how the painting changes, how both its form and meaning evolve. Very often I return to already painted, “finished” works and try to give them different emotions and another story. That is why I think I never truly finish a painting — perhaps I simply let go rather than complete it.

Honestly? Money. This attitude may seem banal, but financial resources are necessary in terms of artistic possibilities and expanding one’s potential, for example in access to materials. Of course, one might ask whether this is not an unconscious justification of one’s own limitations. It probably concerns many areas of life, but ultimately each of us follows our own path, so I prefer to focus on mine and move forward at my own pace.

Konin, my hometown.

It is difficult to say. I feel that culture is beginning to flatten out, but this is only a very superficial observation. I would rather focus on regional art to show how culturally rich Poland is.

A detective, although my greatest dream was to become a film director. But honestly, I do not know myself.