Races do not interest me

Leszek, we talked in 2007 about your stay in New York. You said then that "the whole world has a New York complex." Do you still think so?

Sure I do. Even though I have European roots. When I was on my vacation in Toronto, Canada in 2002 (and on the other side, in the USA) and showed my works there, they would always remind me about that in conversations. I'm from Europe and it is even visible in my works. It's a completely different kind of sensibility. There is a terrible crisis in the United States – just watch TV.  It is now harder to get such things as a scholarship or something of that kind. But I think this will change and it won’t be long. I stand for Europe because I can’t act against my nature. Speaking of New York, I mean a different way of perceiving things. People respect those who represent something, they’ve got a talent, genuine achievements, and they get rewards. They are awarded, praised, they get  the possibility of further development and creation. Later on, the whole society benefits from this. People respect each other, each in its own way is needed. In Poland it is quite the opposite, nobody gives you much respect. We have no new so-called elites and the old looked quite miserable are nearing extinction. We also have very bad relation between the generations, and I don’t mean art only. That's too bad, if you look at it more broadly.

Have you been working with a New York gallery since your stay in 2002?

To undertake such cooperation you must, for example,  sign a one year contract with the gallery. Then, they will look after the artist for this whole time. I have such an agreement and I think one day it might be useful, for example do to a solo exhibition. The right time will come. If I can afford it, we will organize the exhibition three times bigger than the previous one. I got there for an assessment of  my achievements, and I was invited by a curator of the Chelsea Art Museum. It can be called healthy competition and a true test of talent. It's just like with us [laughs].

You’ve just started working as a curator of  exhibitions in Łódź, also collaborating with the City Hall, with the artists and the sponsors. How do you perceive our city today? Once you were quite critical towards it…

My schedule is beyond busy with other projects besides my own work, though everything I do is focused on the so called creation in a broad sense. Lately, I have an inclination towards larger, monumental works. You might be asking about  an open-air gallery Strefa Łódzkiej Awangardy. The idea was created in July 2009. People became accustomed to it and the devastation does not occur. Perhaps I will be able to convince Art Museum to collaborate with us, we’ll see. At least I hope so! At the end of the day, this is a  very good publicity.  Now, I’m also working more for others. Łódź is a bit crappy those days, as everybody thinks only of himself. This is this drama behind the scenes, because some great ideas haven't been able to reach their full potential. All the  TV shows are crammed with scandals, affairs and political games. It is the privileging of politics over culture, the usual fight for seats. I stay away from it and I am glad I can do something positive and creative for my city. Unfortunately, this is the reality.

Łódź cannot be compared with New York. But have you noticed any similarities?

The place I live in Łódź – Górna -  is one of the oldest areas in the city. It has its own unique atmosphere. I call it Brooklyn. You have to walk or take the public transport to get to the city center. I walk a lot. And everything I need is right here, near my studio. There is no scale that could measure the values of those two cities. You cannot compare them. There’s no real, professional gallery, no art market, there is nothing. Whatever you do, there’s always a lot of fuss over it – people will keep saying that it is pioneering, it's bad, it's new. Who needs this?Why do we do it? This is how the new things are created. And I will keep on doing it anyway, this is the meaning of my life. To live for art and because of art. This is how I feel.

Did having an exhibition in NYC change the attitude of Polish people towards your art? Do they tell you “Did you have an exhibition in New York? Amazing, it means that you are a great artist "?

Yes, it happened. In Warsaw, in Toruń and recently in Szczecin. About 300 people attended the opening of my exhibition over there. I did some additional screenings of my work on DVD, one place simply couldn’t accommodate all the people, so we used our fireplace room for the projection. It is very encouraging. Especially that this is my work, nobody but me did it. I heard this from people from abroad (I know two languages​​) and from people that I meet all the time. Nowadays, art reminds me of fashion market. It is made not of the real artists but wannabies who are soon dismissed. Anyway, races do not interest me.

And for you, what’s the importance of being an artist?

It is significant. It gives me a particular satisfaction from what I do, this is what makes you an artist. You either are an artist, or you’re not. Simple as that.  The only thing I can do is continue creating, move on to new challenges and skills, raise the bar and prove my value. As I said before, I am not interested in taking part in those races and getting those, in fact, meaningless Polish pseudo-prices. I’m done. Even though, I never really participated in them. Both real confrontation, as well as the civilization they are elsewhere. And this is what European Union is about. You cannot blame anybody that suddenly the place where you are is outside the main stream of development. If you've got something to say just say it, you just need to get into a particular group and join a discussion on an equal basis. And of course you need to have something important to say. And this may be difficult here.

What are your plans now?

Critics place me and my works next to the  paintings of Witold Wojtkiewicz and the artists of the Young Poland Movement. Personally, I also like Stanisław Wyspiański. And he wrote that you can only be liberated thanks to your strong will. I liberated myself thanks to my strong will. I’m not interested in gossips, jealousy, and all that stuff. I just want to paint, create and compose reality around all of us.

Interview: Maja Ruszkowska-Mazerant