We invite you to the opening of the exhibition Katarzyna Rotkiewicz-Szumska Po ciemnej stronie twarzy
on Friday, March 20, from 7:00–10:00 PM.
Biuro Wystaw / Foundation of Polish Modern Art
Krakowskie Przedmieście 16/18
00–325 Warsaw
Katarzyna Rotkiewicz–Szumska introduces us to a universe of images in which the central motif and binding element is the portrait of a face captured on its “dark side,” in an unstable relationship with the world and with Others. The works presented in the exhibition outline a space where we encounter classical depictions of faces alongside intriguing transformations of photographs, death masks, and public images of celebrities, boxers, dancers, and serial killers—ending with painterly figurations of neighbors and one-eyed beings.
The dominant mood of these paintings is an aura of melancholy, anxiety, and fear, but also violence that isolates and suspends. Based on the principle of contrast, the paintings move through successive phases in the development of visual forms, conveying the atmosphere of uncertainty of the times that we experience together with the artist. At the same time, the painter distances herself from fashionable discourses that obscure our perspective on the classical, apolitical autonomy of the work of art.
Exhibition dates: March 25 – May 29, 2026
Opening hours: Wednesday–Friday, 12:00–18:00
Curators: Sylwia Szymaniak, Andrzej Wajs
Organizer: Foundation of Polish Modern Art
Partner: Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation
Legal support: TGC Corporate Lawyers
The premises at 16/18 Krakowskie Przedmieście Street are used for cultural purposes by the Fundacja Polskiej Sztuki Nowoczesnej, thanks to the support of the Dzielnica Śródmieście m. st. Warszawy.