Cycle: Success II

2019-2022 oil on canvas 70,87 x 53,15 in. (180 x 135 cm)

The word success is a term-concept that ties together all the presented scenes and their protagonists. It’s a key slogan that directs attention to the underlying issue of the hedonistic-consumerist reality. In hyperrealistic depictions, I aimed to juxtapose the marginalized spiritual sphere of human existence with the surrounding material world. The series of paintings accentuates the less favorable, yet often disregarded aspects of the desired success. However, it’s important to note that it’s not success itself in a person’s life that’s depicted as something negative, but rather the methods sometimes employed to achieve it. Fragmentarily, it illustrates to what extent a person is willing to dedicate themselves or what they are willing to forsake to come even a step closer to the coveted, imagined idyll. Such behavior can condition everyday life, simultaneously overshadowing ordinary yet incredibly significant moments in the life of anyone who, without deep reflection, submits to this process. Through a meticulously crafted painterly form, I aim to captivate the viewer, draw them into a play of appearances, and subsequently prompt reflection on the challenging content. For the depicted series illuminates what most people are unwilling to see. It’s meant to provoke and thus create a space open to personal, intimate contemplation.