Jan Szczepkowski

Figurative painter. Lives and works in Sanok, Poland.

The world in Szczepkowski's paintings is a world apart, something keeps us away from it. It is populated by individuals who, although realistically presented and not exactly imaginary, seem strange. They're believable and unreal at the same time, familiar despite being distanced and "not quite from here." Why do they look like both apparitions and neighbours? It is because they're on the border, one foot on the other side, older by not one but two generations. Their outfits, one piece underwear, modest hairdos, in positions that remind those in a child's ABC book or instruction board. Finally - yellowish groundwork and faded colours. They come from the dark times of brown-coloured uniforms, shiny petticoats, and steel machine guns and radio transmitters. The times that, although not so remote, already seem unreal, made even more terrifying thanks to the grandparents' stories yet appealing thanks to what could be found in the attics and other nooks and corners. Safely hidden in the shade, we get a sneak peak of the complex rituals those apparitions are performing, appearing out of the dark background. We often witness oppression or even violence, that we somehow find ourselv...

2003 - graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow with the Master of Fine Arts degree.