Tinnitus

Ciaccia Levi is pleased to present Tinnitus, an exhibition by Wojciech Bąkowski.

The exhibition features four new works, wardrobe-landscapes, which aim to evoke the mental state the artist experiences when he finds himself in an empty apartment or a hotel room. Since childhood, Bąkowski has suffered from tinnitus, which he describes as noises in his head, filling his inner world. Growing up in a housing block in Poznań, surrounded by sound, the artist refers to this place as his “mental home,” a space to which he aspires to return, as it is where he feels most at home. These personal experiences are reflected in the objects on display: charcoal on cardboard works that represent a blend of external and internal landscapes. To prepare his surfaces for drawing, Bąkowski sands heavy cardboard to create a rough texture, before using charcoal or pastel to craft smoky atmospheres from which his figures and places emerge. Trees or street lamps appear on furniture elements as shadows or ghosts. For Bąkowski, atmosphere is crucial, and he views these works as metaphors for the human soul.