In contrast to the spontaneous nature of photography, Pawel Żak claims that his images are ‘fabricated’. This Polish artist constructs minimalist stagings with a great economy of means, where the action takes place without a character, but where man remains the main subject.
Pawel Żak defines himself as “a visual artist who uses photography”. This distinction is reflected in his creative process, which is more concerned with producing ‘inner images’ than with transcribing the real world. “I felt that I could only express myself fully through a fabricated image,” he says, “I am interested in reality, but I need an image that I have designed and of which I am completely in control”.
His photographs are the result of a slow maturation, starting with an idea and initially taking the form of a sketch. The artist builds on this first impression, composing the mise-en-scène that gives rise to his photographs. They take the form of real paintings that are reminiscent of others, such as those of 17th-century Dutch painting, but also certain works of abstract art.
With Still Life, his most recent series, the artist continues his exploration of still life. A table is covered with a white tablecloth in an anonymous space as a symbol of sharing and reunion, evoking both ritual and celebration. This minimal setting sees objects or events emerge that draw the imagination into the realm of what is out of the frame and what is absent. What happens on the table raises questions about what is happening around it. As always in still life, and since the very origins of this age-old genre, the object is man himself. He is the one for whom the table is set, the one who delights or is entertained by what it offers, but also the one whose nature is reflected in these vain and perishable pleasures.
Before ‘Still Life’, Pawel Zak first tackled the subject of still life with the series Tales (1996-2000). When his first child was born, the artist reflected on the world of childhood, “the world where reality mixes with imagination”. The series is a kind of intimate diary of this period and draws from the experience. Each of the shots in the series is captured on analogue film, and is akin to a theatrical scene in which he arranges objects from his daily life set against a cardboard backdrop. The blurred effect and deep shadows give these scenes a mysterious atmosphere, which the artist accentuates during development and printing by multiplying the chemical baths until he achieves the hue he is looking for, which is always unique.
In this fantastic little theatre, everyday objects are stripped of their ordinary appearance to become part of an extraordinary story. The photographer gives them an intensity that allows the viewer to give free rein to their imagination. The Tales series, which marked Pawel Żak’s emergence on the international contemporary photography scene, was awarded the Broncolor Prize for Light at the European Photography Competition in Vevey (Switzerland) in 1998.
About the artist:
Pawel Żak was born in 1965 in Warsaw (Poland), where he still lives and works today. A graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Poznan, he has taken part in dozens of group and solo exhibitions in Poland and abroad since 1994. His work was presented at the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d’Arles in 2004. His works are part of public collections such as the National Museum in Warsaw, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, the Lodz Art Museum and the BNF in Paris.
For more information:
View Pawel Żak’s biography, video interview and portfolio on the Artistics website:
