Jakub Julian Ziółkowski
150 x 120 x 10 cm
gouache, oil, resin on mortar and panel
The relationship between the physiology of the body and the mind is fascinating. Thought can influence matter not only as a will to perform a heroic deed that changes the history of the world but also in the form of stigmata – wounds caused by spiritual stirrings. Today it seems presumptuous to assume that psychophysical interdependence applies only to humanity, and within it to the individual human being. And this has far-reaching consequences! It affects the understanding of what matters, life, and the thinking and feeling of self. The psychophysical world is continuous and constantly morphing. “Earthly Journey” by Jakub Julian Ziółkowski is its map. The terrain is described by runs of fantastic cartographic lines and borders. It is a picture of a corporeal and at the same time spiritual wandering over land, which is equally an earthly land and a body. The simple signs and symbols inscribed in the landscape are traces of those who have passed away, relics of the wanderings of species and communities, layers of stories, emotions, and death written in the soil. Their lack of scale means they can be both giant geoglyphs and tattoos. “Earthly Journey” is simultaneously collective and individual. The impression of a bird’s-eye view intersects with the microscopic image of tissues. The matte and earthy surface of the painting vibrates from the rhythms of white dots resembling maps of stars and celestial bodies. The ruddy breasts in the landscape promise nourishment and care, but also eroticism, as a basic emanation of the will to live.