Wilhelm Sasnal was born in Tarnow, Poland in 1972. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Sasnal has worked as an illustrator for magazines in addition to his artistic practice. His work first gained recognition internationally around 2000, and since then has been featured in many exhibitions both within and outside of Poland. While Sasnal tends to be better known for his paintings, he has presented work across a variety of mediums, including photography, drawings, video, and 16mm film, like the ones in this exhibition.

In his painting work- an integral component of Sasnal’s practice- he is diverse in his subject matter, which includes photography-based images, everyday objects, and portraits of friends, as well as in his style, ranging from representational to abstract art. Sometimes completing a work in a few days or even one, Sasnal is an artist that has created many works while being able to keep a certain distance and objectivity in regard to his subjects, and without being fixed on a particular subject or style. Maintaining such objectivity, at times he chooses to focus on political and social themes that evoke viewers to face, in the absence of subjectivity, issues in contemporary society.

This stance is reflected Sasnal’s 16 mm film works shown in this exhibition. Sasnal’s work is often discussed within the context of Eastern European art because the artist spent his youth in his native Poland during the nation’s transition from a socialist to democratic regime and because he currently lives and works in Krakow, Poland. However, the production of his film works extends across geographic boundaries, reaching far beyond Poland. These works also serve as a source for his paintings which depict everyday objects and make use of written text. Many possess a documentary-like feel, and as in his paintings, maintain an objective quality in capturing the reality of their subjects. Through the medium of film, elements of Sasnal’s self-proclaimed influences of music can be seen significantly, and his works amplify the emotional distance between the subject and the viewer or simply embody the meaning of music itself.

This exhibition features three of Sasnal’s 16mm film works and paintings selected by the artist that correspond with the film works, allowing the viewer to deepen understanding of Sasnal’s critically discussed “visual framing” in his paintings.