Piotr Makowski. Abstractivism

22 January 2019

Piotr Makowski, Kompozycja NR 12 (detail), 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris

Piotr Makowski. Abstractivism. Installation view, Nomas Foundation, Rome. Courtesy of the artist and Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris. Ph. Piotr Makowski

Curated by Piotr Makowski and Elisa Genovesi

January 23 - April 4, 2019
opening: January 22, 2019, from 6.30 pm
Nomas Foundation, viale Somalia 33, Rome

Nomas Foundation is pleased to present Abstractivism, the first solo show in Italy of the Polish artist Piotr Makowski (1985, Gdynia), that will open on Tuesday, January 22^nd, 2019 at 6.30 pm.

Curated by the artist himself and Elisa Genovesi, Abstractivism includes monochromatic and small format silverpoint drawings (2016) which are a subtle, silent introduction to the big scale paintings arranged in the main space of the Foundation. The series of large, abstract watercolour paintings with iridescent and evanescent colours started in 2016, are developed over the last time for the purpose of their presentation at Nomas.
Makowski’s compositions and their mutual relations are as important as the space where they are exhibited. The regular arrangement of the vertical paintings, that fills the walls from the floor to the ceiling, creates a unique type of pictorial abstract panorama inside the gallery.

The artist focuses on pure and formal aspects of painting and creates various types of compositions constructed layer over layer in order to give his inner life a physical appearance, nourished by feelings, memories and emotions, creating, at the same time, new formal values of his abstract painting.

In a world overexposed to images that vehicle specific messages, Makowski refuses any narrative or informative aspect of art and focuses on internal formal issues of painting. His own emotions and experiences - directly transferred on canvas - are the starting point for a deeper exploration of the world of abstraction, that seems to grow and absorbs the artist more and more with each new work.

The whole exhibition can be considered as a personal tribute of the artist to abstraction as manifested in the title of the show Abstractivism, a pun created by the artist. One of the possible meanings is a subtle irony to the common belief in the superiority of abstraction. Actually, Makowski’s “faith” in abstraction is testified since the very beginning of his career, by an exploration of various directions of abstraction that goes from geometrical and formalized forms to more organic and fluid accents.
Furthermore, the term Abstractivism also reflects Makowski’s challenge to redefine the possibilities of abstraction today.

In collaboration with: Polish Institute of Rome

Piotr Makowski (Gdynia, Poland, 1985) lives and works in Gdynia. He studied painting at Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk (2005-2011) and architecture at University of Technology in Gdansk (2004-2011).
Solo Exhibition (selection): Pogonologia, Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris, 2017; Modern Series, Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris, 2014; Piotr Makowski, The Baltic Sea Cultural Centre, Gdansk, 2014; Terrain Vague, Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris, 2013.
Group Exhibition (selection): What about this abstraction?, Stefan Gierowski Foundation, Warsaw, 2017; Baltika, Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris, 2017; Pusto, Galeria Sztuki im. Jana Tarasina, Kalisz (Poland), 2016; La fine del nuovo, Avoncampolin Art Space, Pordenone, 2016; Granpalazzo, Zagarolo (Rome), 2016; The Nerina Project: We are family, Art-O-Rama Salon d’art. Contemporain, Marseille, 2015; Graduate. After Academy – Liquid Identities, Wyspa Institute of Art, Gdansk, 2015; Shift, Antoine Levi Gallery, Paris, 2014; Fragments of a painting, Gallery Jesionowa 4/3, Gdansk, 2010.

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Piotr Makowski. Abstractivism