Exhibition
Tomasz Tajak’s painting exhibition "The Good Lord Sees Everything"
"What if we stopped pretending and spoke plainly, without beating around the bush? The era of threats involving all manner of divine retribution arrived surprisingly quickly. Punishment could befall a person for virtually anything: for drinking, for violence, for simply existing or failing to exist, for malicious glares or casting spells. 'God is slow to act, but just'—words spoken calmly or shouted with an axe in hand. Thus begins the story of the fear of inevitable punishment for everything"—this is how Tomasz Tajak sets the scene for the exhibition, to which we cordially invite you at the Nikifor Museum.
A dead calf, a litter of rabbits, pip in the chickens—all punishments, for "God sees everything." Misfortunes are shrouded in silence, like a muted television—nothing but the image of despair, that unimaginable portrait of pain. A child peers through the ajar door, watching—through splayed, crooked fingers—the circus-like figures running around the table. They all hover above the ground as if in a trance-like dance, knocking things over; the tightly packed porcelain figurines in the sideboard begin to dance. Saints gaze down from their pictures with such calm eyes. My eyes are huge; they devour everything. Silence arrives unexpectedly, growing ever more treacherous. At other times, half-buried in sand, I watch a quarrel over a boundary line; fence pickets spin wildly. Colors matter greatly: upon the rainbow beam sits the Just God, seeing all, a lightning bolt held in His hand. When a storm breaks, everything comes to a halt; we sit beneath a blanket, awaiting punishment. At night, thoughts, curses, and counter-spells race through the house. I have locked all these stories away in drawers, secret compartments, and bundles—hidden deep. Sometimes I want to sort it all out, but then again... "God sees everything."
Colorful pictures, little stories, hallucinations, visions, and revelations will hang upon the walls. I painted them with meticulous care, and today I share them all with you; the truth is right there before your eyes—come, see...
Tomasz Tajak
Colorful pictures, little stories, hallucinations, visions, and revelations will hang upon the walls. I painted them with meticulous care, and today I share them all with you; the truth is right there before your eyes—come, see...
Tomasz Tajak
Tomasz Tajak – born in 1988 in Gorlice. He is a graduate of the T. Brzozowski Fine Arts High School in Krosno. He completed an acting program at the Krakow Schools of Art and studied art education (specializing in visual arts) at the Faculty of Art of the Pedagogical University of Krakow. In 2014, he defended his painting diploma with honors in the studio of Prof. G. Borowik-Pieniek. His work encompasses painting, sculpture, sacred art installations, and cultural animation. Since 2017, he has been associated with the Gorlice Cultural Center, where he leads three theater groups and the "Malarnia" (Painting Studio). He has participated in both solo and group exhibitions, and his works are held in private collections and art galleries in Poland and abroad.
