Artist: Stach Szumski
Title: Splittertown
Venue: Studio of the Young Artist’s Association, Budapest
Curator: Useless Galeri
Photo: Digitaliskepmuhely
The show titled Splittertown is realized in FKSE (The Studio of Young Artist’s Association) and is based on the paintings of Zbigniew Ralicki, the great-uncle of Stach Szumski. The architectonical landscape that Zbigniew Ralicki called to life is a complex, abstract and fictitious universe of urban agglomeration that affected Szumski’s artistic practice. As a graffiti artist Stachu perched on many abandoned buildings with murals – mainly heritages of socialist-brutalist architecture. The practice of his artistic urban exploration is not the only sign to be observed at Stachu’s art which is connected to the architectural atmosphere of Ralicki’s paintings. The show, that is starting from this personal connection, can be considered as a collaboration between a living and a deceased dimension. The site-specific works of Stach Szumski reflect on one of Ralicki’s paintings in a way in which it denotes his respect to him as an artist but also manifests his own art. Stachu enlivens the landscape as a three-dimensional interpretation of Ralicki’s urban vision: he weaves the spaces of FKSE with carbon rails, high voltage sloops and gothic organic towers. The paintings of Ralicki offer the viewer a hypnotic potential of diving in. Szumski presents one of the most important references of himself as an artist, as a statement of his family roots from where he inherited his colors, forms and spheres.
Stach Szumski:
Stach Szumski polish artist graduated from the Department of Media Arts at the University of Fine Arts in Warsaw. As an artist, he often experiments with various media and techniques. One side of his artistic practice is based on his long-lasting passion and presence as a graffiti artist. He developed a unique painting technique through the method of wall-painting that became his “credit” on his artworks as well. Since 2016 he has been exploring and “inhabiting” abandoned buildings with large-scale murals. These buildings are highlighted from the brutalist architectural monuments inherited from socialism, thus generating a dialogue with this stage of historical past. Szumski’s site-specific works interpreted to gallery spaces are also dealing with the relationship of the space and the artworks. His works often settle as parasites on the walls, at different spots of the spaces. His artistic attitude is characterized by the deconstruction and manipulation of spaces using different media. His subjects are occupied by various macro-organisms, natural formations, myths, demons, mysticism and the afterlife.
The program series was organized by Useless Galeri, with the participation of the Studio of Young Artists’ Association, Everybody Need Arts and Art Quarter Budapest.