"Teke Teke" Drawing

Among the last generation of Communism in Poland, I can still recall the overnight transformation into what I call 'wild Capitalism,' an explosion of colour and variety in consumerist counter culture which informs my work. With a focus on form and expression, I aim to achieve painterly gestures which not only echo the fast paced changes of my youth, but the hollow melancholy in which I regard Capitalism.Working from bright neon shades, to the earthiest of browns, these paintings derive from a genuine passion for colour. Inspired by surroundings and observation of everyday life, I use painting as an expressive outlet, making sense of today's banal and translating it into abstract form. This is achieved not only through a gestural demonstration of line and colour, but also by physically working upon found articles in my present environment, ‘skipped’ or found objects. Whether it be current posters from Taiwan, dried and pressed banana leaves from Bangkok, kitchen foil, or dusty curtains found littered on the streets of London , I use each item as a backdrop, working upon them, censoring them of their previous use and filling them with an intuitive array of colour. In this act I hope to examine a collective perspective of our surroundings, the way in which we view everyday ‘lowbrow’ or disposable objects and to change their meaning by placing them within a Fine Art context. I aim to create paintings that are both a melancholic reflection of our ever changing environment and a joyful play with the very act of painting itself.