Krzysztof Gil: A black night in the daylight | exhibition

Exhibition of paintings by Krzysztof Gil

Krzysztof Gil is an artist of Roma origin whose work explores serious historical themes related to Roma history, exclusion and oblivion. In his most recent works, which will be presented as part of the festival, the artist focuses on the concept of race, emphasising a period in history when this category had not yet been created. He refers to cultures of the Global South, mythology, art history or capitalism to weave together broad themes into individual stories or intertextual narratives. The protagonists of the images presented are usually hybrids. Krzysztof Gil combines human bodies with the heads of dogs, swans or, conversely, the bodies of cats with the face of humans. Their original function in ancient beliefs was ambivalent – on the one hand, they reflected awe-inspiring superhuman power; on the other, they evoked fear and anxiety.

As well as referring to mythological figures, the hybrids also have a hidden meaning, for the artist they are a metaphor for the ‘Other’. Searching for information on the etymology of the word, we find that hybride in French and German originally meant a descendant of parents with different origins. The collage of bodies, motifs taken from history and various cultures is a reflection of the artist’s main interests. It is a transhistorical story about the past, the ways in which minorities are represented and prejudice, which also attempts to explain the present in all its chaos, confusion and complexity.

About the artist

Krzysztof Gil (b. 1987, Kraków) – visual artist, in his practice uses drawing, painting, sculpture and graphic art. He graduated from the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he obtained his master’s degree under the supervision of prof. dr hab. ASP Piotr Panasiewicz. He defended his doctorate in art in 2018 at his parent university. He is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts at the Pedagogical University of Kraków. In 2016, he was awarded the Creative Scholarship of the City of Kraków.

He has presented his works in institutions and galleries such as: European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture – ERIAC in Berlin, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, Gdańsk City Gallery, Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, Stefan Gierowski Foundation in Warsaw, BWA Wrocław, BWA Tarnów, Szara Kamienica Gallery in Kraków, Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław, l’étrangère in London, Akademie der Kunst in Berlin.

Accompanying events

Good Conversation Centre: „Identity Narratives” – a conversation between Taras Gembik (the Foundation Towards Dialogue) and Krzysztof Gil