Tomasz Kręcicki Pinch me, 2024

Set against an abstract dark background, this work by Tomasz Kręcicki depicts two fingers apparently pinching a section of skin. Rendered with extreme detail and precision, the artist compels us to consider essentially quotidian subject matter with heightened attention. In his paintings, even everyday objects such as this one, become invested with a sense of monumentality and foreground the painter’s skilful command over his chosen medium.

A major theme in the artist's practice has been a kind of bathos: the mockery of earnestness, undercutting aspirations through absurdity, jokes, and wit. At the same time, works depicting everyday objects such as long wires to repel birds, push pins or even a loose button, can evoke a sense of anxiety and foreboding created by the implied physical threat and the cryptic nature of the implied narrative content. Kręcicki’s subject matter then is inherently existential, addressing both contemporary politics and its repercussions on the individual.