Jakub Julian Ziółkowski

The body is Ziolkowski’s main theme—it’s no wonder, given that he’s the son of two doctors. From an early age, medical books and their disturbing illustrations enlightened him as to what actually lies beneath the skin. And so his paintings often depict bones, muscles, and veins; this view into the body’s interior also evinces a profound doubt in consumerist society and its flawless surfaces. In times of computer-generated perfection, Botox-smooth skin, and eternal youth, he shows what goes on beneath the washboard abs, inside the guts. Again and again, he addresses the organic, the cycle of life, death, and decay. His exploration of the fundamental questions of human existence has the macabre humor that once characterized medieval death dances. Thus, for instance, a huge snake slithers inEsophagus (2008)—the painting owes its title to the medical term for the gullet. The animal resembles a serpentine intestine stuffed with heads, limbs, and strange organs. The site of the scene, which is painted in hues of psychedelic green, purple, and yellow, is a meadow full of fish, bottles, and crawling tongues; at the horizon, an armada of volcanoes rises up, smoking cigarettes. A completely absurd scene—naïve Sunday painting on LSD.