We come from the forests. I’m reminded of the importance of trees during the sweltering days of summer. Even in urbanised Warsaw, I’ve learned to leap from forest to forest as I cross the city by bike. It’s precisely in these moments that trees become my refuge. They were, in fact, once our shelter.
In the painting Back To The Trees, the thickly painted surface resembles a well-loved artist’s palette. The forest is rendered dense with healthy green foliage. At its forefront stands a row of white birch trunks—paradoxically both inviting and foreboding. They might appear as pillars at the entrance to a great forest temple, or conversely, as a line of protective bars—a stark reminder that we’ve cast ourselves out, unable to return.
back to the trees
2003, oil on linen, 40 x 40cm