MARIUSZ KRUK

When we are confronted with something unfamiliar, the first emotion that arises is unease. The growing, involuntary sense of fear stems from the inevitable confrontation with the unknown. Overwhelmed by fear that grips both the mind and the body, we are faced with a choice: to ignore and repress the experience of otherness, or to attempt to understand it.

Although retreat may seem like the safer option, it is the act of stepping outside our comfort zone that opens the path to truly discovering the mysteries of reality. Courage requires risk, but this risk is often accompanied by fascination—especially when the unknown presents itself in a beautiful form. Beauty draws us in primarily through its sensual dimension, which is why we instinctively desire a connection with an attractive object or being. We want to be near it, to observe it, and—if possible—to physically experience its presence.
Conversely, when the encountered object does not appeal to us visually, we are much less inclined to engage with it. In such moments, the potential for deeper understanding is blocked—both by our preconceptions and by an unwillingness to go beyond familiar aesthetic norms.

In Mariusz Kruk’s work, aesthetic categories such as beauty and ugliness intersect in a rhythm of alternation—between presence and disappearance, revelation and concealment. The beauty inherent in matter reveals itself through shape, texture, and form. It can be found in a discarded piece of aluminum sheet, a scrap of wood, or a handful of colorful beads found in a drawer.

By radically categorizing and evaluating everything we encounter, we risk trivializing and oversimplifying the very existence of these things. From this perspective, the analysis of beauty solely for its own sake seems futile—hence the decision to forgo a title for the exhibition.

Kruk strives to objectify the gaze as much as possible. By foregrounding the simplicity of an object’s presence, he affirms its right to exist on multiple levels of meaning. The sense of the sublime he seeks is hidden within this simplicity—bringing us closer to understanding the essence of being itself.

Freed from external connotations, objects may function autonomously—resonating as independent entities whose sole purpose is to express their inner ideas. These ideas are the primary source of Kruk’s inspiration. By moving away from viewing reality as a set of forms marked by fixed values and contexts, the artist creates a space for the viewer to experience the object in a “pure” way—free from imposed frameworks and expectations.

For Mariusz Kruk’s second solo exhibition at MOLSKI gallery, we present a selection of his characteristic painted objects and works on paper. The gathered pieces, created between 2017 and 2024, invite us to recognize the primal beauty of the ordinary object.

exhibition: 20.04 - 18.05.2024
opening: 19.04.2024 at 6 pm

MOLSKI gallery
Aleja Wielkopolska 65A
60-603 Poznań