Photographer Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Congratulations to Jakub Pasierkiewicz on earning his place as a finalist in the 4th Edition!
WHO ARE YOU?
I was born in 1980 in Poland and I graduated from the University of Silesia with a Masters in Fine Arts in 2005. My main passion is painting and drawing but I have never lost my interest in the medium of photography, which in some sense, is an essential accomplishment of my artistic language.
"The inverted world III” (Winning work)
By Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Photography
What inspired you into photography?
My adventure with photography started when I was ten and I received my first film manual camera: a Russian Zenith 12XP. It took another 6-7 years before I really started to use that camera to take some pictures. However, I was not aware of all technical aspects of this device this experience became an introduction into a ‘photography world’. Only during my studies, I discovered the phenomenon of a darkroom, which gave me an incomparable and direct exploration of the medium of photography. With one’s own eyes we can then observe a single image appearance, which we are a creator of – a person who decides about a final form of the produced picture.
“The inverted world VI”
By Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Photography
Can you explain why you choose Photography as a medium for your work and voice as opposed to others?
In my practice – be it photography, painting, or drawing – I try to recreate an idea that appears through thorough observation of the surrounding world. Whenever I can, I take the opportunity to travel as this is definitely the best source of inspiration that I can experience by myself. In this sense, photography is my favorite form of 'sketch book'.
I must confess that photography also allowed me to cross the barrier which was constantly stopping me from perceiving reality in a non-representational way. I created my first abstract picture using the camera discovering the geometrical compositions through my lens. I have never taken a brush and copied Jason Pollock’s action painting style but using photography as a tool I managed at least to explore this kind of expression looking into countless structures. In this way, I would say that photography became some sort of a bridge that allowed me to step into completely unknown territories.
“The inverted world V”
By Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Photography
Have you experimented with other mediums?
As I mentioned before, I graduated from the University of Silesia where I had the opportunity to explore different media and techniques. My latest one - mixed media - helped me to create the artworks which present the concept of changes from one form into another one or the process which accompanies this transformation. The Dadaist’s theory that ‘everything is everywhere and conversely’ seeded some ideas inside me about starting to collect some pre-existing materials and giving them new significance in my artwork. I took away the primary functions of the found objects by interrupting their real anatomy. When one process stops, another starts: by alternating, layering, and arranging them together, I allow the materials to develop, almost like being reborn, gaining new implications within a new context. By adopting found fragments of paper and other materials I observe the metamorphosis which has taken place and either follow the initial motif/ structure/ form or by ignoring this imprint of nature I try to discover a new potential by introducing new mechanisms in order to develop new integrity. The materials are treated here as a medium and a process rather than as a surface.
“The inverted world II”
By Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Photography
"The Inverted World III" is part of a series, can you tell us about the series as a whole?
The photographs present abstract coastal landscapes, which I captured in different regions of the world. The variation of the flora's shapes, which appeared in front of my camera, became an inspiration to explore human relationships and identity. By creating these diptychs, which are the combination of positive and negative of the same capture, I wanted to emphasize potential opposite elements of the same subject. For me, it also symbolizes the duality of human character with its complex nature which constitutes our psychological portrait which is woven from different experiences and emotions such as depression, anxiety, happiness, joy, or calm. I also observed another aspect of these compositions. I realized that they display the connection between the currently existing world and something new, which can appear in the future and constitute the outcome of our deconstructive activity on our planet.
“The inverted world XI"
By Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Photography
What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?
I always have plenty of concepts in my mind so, to be honest, there are a few projects, which I started or am going to. I do not want to reveal a lot as I always try to finalize ideas before I start talking about them. I can only say that I am close to finishing a series of photographs which are about nocturne, which character is mainly dictated by a specific nightly atmosphere. This subject has a very rich and old tradition in the art world. For me, the icon of this style is definitely Canadian Post-Impressionism painter Tom Thomson or American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler. I will try to create a series that will correspond with the vision of these artists. One of my biggest aspirations is to go back to oil painting which I studied at the University. However, this time I would like to decidedly inquire into abstract fields. I hope I am ready for it.
“The inverted world VII”
By Jakub Pasierkiewicz
Photography
Lastly, I would like to ask what advice you would give to your fellow artists/photographers?
I am not good at giving advice about anything but I will repeat what I often say about my creativity: When creating anything, one should follow a rule of full honesty with oneself. It is important to be truthful, and not to follow any trends or styles, by trying to—at any price—retain originality. Any fake and mimicked actions will be revealed—it is only a matter of time. Of course, these matters can be reconsidered in many contexts. The fact that an artist deals with critique—an assessment of reality considering historical or political events, or simply analyzing reality and its phenomena—is another story. In both cases one has to retain his honesty so the work created can be received as authentic.
To view more of Jakub Pasierkiewicz’s work