TigersAnka Mierzejewska Acrylic on canvas72 x 60 inches2022 About Anka Mierzejewska: This is a presentation of the series of artworks completed in NYC by the artist XY.Here is a delicate line between figuration and abstraction. Those works treat on both – the physicality of the paint itself and the inspirational topic. The painting itself, the surface, and the tension between colors and the forms are one topic, where the artist loses consciousness and lets go of the instinct to paint. The gestural power and energetic brushwork is the truth of the process, and the artist like to stay visible.The lovers, the lines of human figures, are the powerful starting point, from where the artist began the painting.XY says about herself: “I am a serious child, messing around with paints, exploring, and breaking boundaries” For XY painting is a form of touching. It’s her primal need, sensual, sexy, and expressionistic. During their time in Chelsea, XY focused on a series of new works centered around sensuality.XY says: “I reconnected with my own body and began to feel.”We can see that through this series, she wanted to convey that our bodies are remarkable and that to truly find ourselves, we must embrace our bodies and define ourselves within them.The great philosopher Giorgio Agamben in “Profanations” says that our bodies provide us with touch, understanding, and the boundaries of our being. They represent who we are. Touch is our first sense, and it is brilliant. Yet, touch has always been regarded with suspicion and labeled as "dirty." This association with dirt stems from our childhood experiences, where touch is how we initially learn about the world. Through touch, we familiarize ourselves with the unknown, break down barriers, and get closer to others. This dirtiness associated with touch is innocent and profane at the same time, which is why many artists, including Yoko Ono and Marina Abramovic, have explored this theme.Now, in New York City, XY stands in her truth, returned to her body in many ways, and painted a series that celebrates the sensuality of life, our bodies, and lovers.In love, touch can be a gift. It brings us closer, transcends the world around us, temporarily erases separation and alienation, heightens our senses, and isolates us from our beloved.XY now channels this need and energy into the paintings.
