Cezary Tkaczyk: Family Altar

Although many months have passed since my first meeting with Cezary Tkaczyk, I remember it well. During that meeting with an artist seeking support for his project, I was struck by the extraordinary precision and economy—both exceedingly rare—with which he formulated his thoughts. Over time, the image emerged still more clearly of a man with a subtle intelligence and sensitivity: perceptive, cautious and full of apprehension about himself, his work and his surroundings. 

Consciousness—the consciousness of one’s own personality and of truth—is the central issue of human existence. Living amid a boundless expanse of untruth, particularly since it was noticed that pretence can quickly bring immediate benefits, we constantly seek paths towards truth. Cezary Tkaczyk’s Family Altar is undoubtedly another stage on that journey. ‘To be naked is to confront the truth about oneself. Standing before us, the figures in Cezary Tkaczyk’s photographs reveal not only the truth about themselves but—through the analogy of the mirror—the truth about who we are or wish to be,’ Magdalena Wicherkiewicz writes in this catalogue. 

The exhibition of Cezary Tkaczyk’s work is engaging and distinctive because of the method used to produce the photographic object on display. The technology employed by the artist makes the photographic reality of Family Altar exceptionally powerful.

It is my pleasure to recommend Magdalena Wicherkiewicz’s exceptionally interesting and penetrating analysis of the motives behind Family Altar. I also encourage you to read Krzysztof Cichoń’s conversation with the artist. 

I cordially invite you to visit Atlas Sztuki and see Family Altar, Anno Domini 2005. I am convinced that it is a significant and worthwhile attempt to discover one’s own consciousness.