New works by Seikon and Tomasz Gornicki in Germany

“The light that you give me” by Tomasz Gornicki and Seikon. Schüttorf, Germany

After the last Berlin recap about a week ago (here), yes, time flies, I wanted to draw some attention towards the work of another great Polish artist, Seikon who, alone and together with Tomasz Górnicki created a series of new works for the IRON OXIDE project that, curated by Jan Sętowski, includes the participation of talented artists like the Monstfur collective, Tomasz Górnicki, Simpson and of course Seikon.
As explained in my previous post, the IRON OXIDE project aims to go back to the roots of the Street Art movement, roots that seem to have been forgotten in a sea of commissioned walls and marketed street art festivals and events. They want to make us aware of what street art really means to them.

I asked Seikon about his work, about what he wanted to express with it. He jokingly answered “chill and love”, and even if it was a joke, there is something true in it. His work, mainly illegal pieces painted at different undisclosed locations i Poland, reflects that capacity to chill in relation to his own work, and none the less, the love and dedication he expresses for his work in each piece he creates.
His work also aims to fit the urban environment in which they are created, become part of the architecture and integrate the different elements, focusing on proportion, balance and composition as key features in his work.

I would like to highlight two pieces created during the IRON OXIDE trip in Germany. One of them is a collaborative installation by Seikon and Tomasz Górnicki titled “The light that you give me” and painted during their stay in Schüttorf, Germany.
In “The light that you give me” there are two things to catch our attention, Górnicki’s sculpture and Seikon’s signature linear-based imagery.

Tomasz Gornicki for “The light that you give me” by Tomasz Gornicki and Seikon. Schüttorf, Germany

The white sculpture of a baby floating at about 2,5m from the ground against a dripping black rectangular background, certainly contrasts with the stark geometry of Seikon’s piece on the opposite wall. As kindly explained by Górnicki, the image of the baby is a portrait of his son and his part of the installation speaks about both the joy of parenthood and the burden of responsibility. Resembling the image of a church altar, there is no other religion than family.

This figurative composition faces the abstract painting by Seikon who unlike Górnicki, works with emotions, but without using an obvious narrative speech. He expresses through pure and simple abstraction characterised by a clean and precise trace enriched by theme triangles, kink broken lines, and a unique sense for balance in the composition.

Seikon for “The light that you give me” by Tomasz Gornicki and Seikon. Schüttorf, Germany

Seikon. Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf, Berlin.

Monstfur. Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf, Berlin.

About the artists

SEIKON (Born in 1987) is a freelance street artist and painter based in his native Poland. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, stepping into an art world and public sphere in his early years, in 1999. His work revolves around paintings and sculptures. Throughout the years his style has evolved in the direction of a focus on abstract form and linear compositions. SEIKON specialises in creating unique geometrical patterns which transform diverse surfaces with the use of colour and design.

Tomasz Górnicki (born 1986) is one of the most interesting sculptors of the Young Generation in Poland, who combines classic workshop education gained at the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, with creation, imagination and courage in the field of aesthetic experiments. In his work he seamlessly moves among different techniques and materials alternately using marble, clay, bronze and steel. Górnicki is also one of few sculptors in Europe, who so uncompromisingly annexes the space of the street in the need of his creativity.

MONSTFUR is an indigenous organism of artland, subsisting on the byproducts of modern life and the cultural carrion of generations past. It expresses itself on the rusted steel sheets and redundant signage and finally walls. Paintings created by Collective can be found at prestigious fairs like Stroke Art Fair in Munich, where the objects are exhibited alongside high-profile artists such as Banksy. In 2015 Monstfur was awarded the Grand Prix in the competition Stencil Art Prize organised by Ambush Gallery in Sydney. Their artworks have been presented at solo and group exhibitions in Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, Sydney and Warsaw. They have also found their place in major museum collections in Poland (m.in. Muzeum Śląskie w Katowicach).

Author: Fran

Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.

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