oil, canvas, 50 x 70 cm signed, dated and described on the reverse: "DEATH-SCENE #05"/OLE/50 x 70/ ON THE BASIS OF THE DEATH SCENE FROM THE FILM "LA PASSION/DE JEANNE D'ARC" (1928)/RYSZARD SZOZDA/2023
Ryszard Szozda, born in 1976 in Cracow, Poland.
Graduated from the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow in 2001. From 1999 to 2000 studied at the Department of Photography at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. Since 2002 he has been living and working in Warsaw.
In his works he explores themes related to symbolic violence, the threat of racism, totalitarianism or war present in the contemporary iconosphere and powerlessness against them.
Winner of the Grand Prize of the 13th Arte Laguna Prize for his triptych "Test #03" in 2019 in Venice. Co-creator and director of the documentary "Don't pay me" about the negation of the conventional priority of accumulating money and goods.
Co-editor of the program "Birds and Ornithologists" about contemporary art on the online radio project Radio Voices.
The work is part of Szozda's series of paintings depicting death scenes captured in film works. In his art, the artist reflects on the phenomenon that often such subjects as death, violence and cruelty fascinate and attract us. The death scenes on Szozda's canvases are beautiful, even erotic. Instead of looking away, we look mesmerized. In culture we know this phenomenon as voyeurism and also the genre of snuff-movies. Szozda's painting refers to the death scene of the title character in the1928film La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc .
Exhibitions:
2023: "One of these days and it won't be long" (solo exhibition, opening 07.10.), 81 Degrees Gallery, Warsaw.
2022: "Danger close" (solo exhibition), Piękna Gallery, Warsaw
2021:
"Strictly commercial" (group exhibition), F.A.I.T Gallery, Krakow, Poland
2020:
"Again" (solo exhibition), Nanazenit Gallery, Warsaw.
2019:
"Cracow Art Salon 2019" (group exhibition), Palace of Art in Krakow
"13th Arte Laguna Prize" (group exhibition), Arsenal, Venice
2018:
"Lito ASP KRK - Studio of Lithography of the Academy of Fine Arts Cracow".
(group exhibition), Academy Gallery in Bronowice, Cracow
Krakow Salon of Art 2018 (group exhibition), Palace of Art, Krakow
2017:
"Black, white, colored" (solo exhibition),UV21 Gallery, Warsaw
"I'm No Longer a Dog" / "I'm no longer a dog" (group exhibition), Silesian Museum in Katowice, Poland
"Monsters: They are among us" (group exhibition), Blank Space Gallery, Oslo, Norway
"Birds and Ornithologists" (group exhibition), F.A.I.T. Gallery in Cracow, Poland.
2007:
"Encounters in the City" (group exhibition), Palace of Art in Krakow.
2005:
"Man and Woman" (group exhibition), Palace of Art in Krakow
2004:
"Twins" (solo exhibition), Sheik Yerbouti Gallery, Cracow.
2003:
"All Tommorow's Parties" (solo exhibition), Sheik Yerbouti Gallery, Cracow.
2001:
"Lithographs" (solo exhibition), PWST Gallery, Cracow
"Photography without a Past" (group exhibition), Museum of the History of Photography, Cracow
2000:
"Sig Sauer" (solo exhibition), Galeria Otwarta, Krakow
"American visa" (individual exhibition), Galeria Otwarta in Krakow
"Krakov Praha 2000" (group exhibition), Polish Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
