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Thinking about water reminds me of all the countless moments which cause a state of total isolation – a condition which is neither good nor bad, but which refers to a moment in which I can be sure that nobody reaches me and in which I am most happy. Being completely absorbed in thoughts, I bear little or no relation to the outside world and I can do it exactly because of water.

Similarly to fever, which is the nature’s way of telling you that your body is fighting off an infection, the water becomes an antidote to human nosiness, spitefulness and rat race; it is like a fresh balm applied to a tired mind. When we are deprived of basic life aspects which guarantee privacy and even intimacy, we may find escape in water. It often happens that the further we move, the better we feel and – quite paradoxically – the deep, rough sea may offer us more solace than a seemingly calm sandy coast. As a result, our infected awareness turns into a beautiful mind. In this way, nature – water in particular – plays a similar role to an effective medical treatment at the professional surgery. It helps our body fight off the infection, even though it may seem that we have coped with it on our own.

Water always ranks high in my order of priorities, but – unlike in landscape painting – it is never the sole object of my works. It appears as the main element in a painting and as such it always determines the behaviour of the characters – characters who depend on water in the sense that their actual mood, facial expression and posture are influenced by it. And although at first glance the painted scene may appear quite simple, later we learn how complex it really is. For instance, water helps us come to terms with a situation which we feel anxious about.

This is illustrated in the painting titled “Couple”: the young people there seem to be happy after they have reached inner peace (“Couple”). The young girl on the gang-board does not seem as calm as they are and the sea is not as still and quiet (“Ripples”). In other words, the ripples on the surface mirror her anxiety. We can see that she is on the verge of discovering some great mystery and she is feeling like in a fairy-tale. The magical ripples excite her imagination. The rippled sea in this paining contrasts with the flat surface in another – “Leap” – in which the water is based on solely one colour. Unlike “Ripples,” “Leap” was painted without the use of the chiaroscuro convention. It features a woman who uses the vast sea surface as her area of reflection. Maybe only there she can fulfil her dual nature. In fact, looking at this diptych we have the impression of two independent persons with the leap of the orca between them as a conversation piece.

Also in “Wave” a few bar guests share a common emotional state. The titular wave intensifies the atmosphere of waiting for something unimaginably powerful and is like a harbinger of the impending storm. To the people sitting lazily on the gallery, the wave does not represent any danger, but even here the whole scenery turns into a dialogue between the human and water elements.

Looking at people on the bridge (“Bridge”), we confront two different worlds – the modern world of mass consumption with a wilder world of primeval nature. They meet together, exist very close to each other and show their characters in the most sophisticated way – people in line can at most focus on their plastic bags stolen by the wind, whereas the raging river does the same job it has been doing for thousands of years – it flows.

For me, water tells an interesting story. It reflects the reality and gives meaning to our existence. It mirrors our thoughts and thus it also tells our story and passes it down to the next generations. I find water a particularly fascinating object of painting as it is constantly changing, so what appears on the canvas as the final result is one and only moment which will never happen again.

 

來自波蘭文化古城,同時也是波蘭前首都-Cracow,Maciej Gador先生歷經波蘭共產時期,與經濟轉型後的陣痛期。那段艱苦與壓迫的成長經驗,反而鍛鍊出Maciej先生柔軟的心,與內在冀望認識這寬廣世界的熱切。

波蘭...在15世紀曾經與立陶宛大公國,政治聯姻,合組大國。並聯合東歐大軍,殲滅西歐包含德意志、法蘭西、瑞士合組的2.7萬人大軍,鞏固了波蘭立陶宛大國的地位,與凝聚了東歐斯拉夫民族與波羅的海民族的團結向心力,成為當時歐洲第一大強國。為期不長的歐洲大國情勢,17世紀因俄羅斯興起,以及北歐各聯邦與國家逐漸強大,領土一塊塊流失與被瓜分。19世紀與一次大戰後,甚至經歷兩次亡國,但卻泯滅不了波蘭人內在的團結力。

Maciej先生提到,波蘭人是個敏感與心思敏銳的民族,對於自己國家的文化,具有高度的認同。直至今日,波蘭對於古老建築的保存,依然高度重視。20年前第一場畫展迄今,現在的他,經歷幾次的旅遊與國外參展的經驗,開放地接受外在世界的衝擊,也呈現在他的作品之中。

在他的畫作中,總是有「人」的元素,這些人物都是Maciej生命中真實存在或正在經歷的人。每個人物都有其故事,而這些經歷喜悅、憂愁、平靜的故事,時常與真實生活的觀者產生共鳴。

「自然」
在Maciej畫中,時常看到大量的地景與自然元素,對於Maicej,自然不是背景,有時更甚於畫作中的角色。上一檔畫展是描繪樹與人的關係,並探索樹所帶來的訊息。

而這一次的主題-「水」,Maciej先生分享到-
當我想到水,無數個感覺到孤獨,與完全獨處的時刻與回憶湧現。無關乎好與壞,每當與水共處,總是能確保不會被任何人打擾,也是我感到最快樂的時光,可以完全沉浸在思緒裡,暫停與外界的連結。

就像發燒,身體以一種自然的方式進行療癒,擊退侵染的病菌;「水」在人生活當中,也扮演了解毒劑的角色,擊退人們被外界愛管閒事、恨意、與日常生活令人緊張的競爭壓力的侵擾。「水」就像一股芬香的樹脂精油,塗抹在疲累的身體上。當我們被剝奪不論是實體或思想上的隱私時,往往可以在「水」的世界裡尋求棲身。

奇妙的是,一片波浪起伏不平整的海面,比起一片平靜多沙的海岸線,更能帶給人們慰藉,沉浸當中產生的覺察,轉變成人們內在美麗的想法。
似乎可以說,在自然裡-特別是水,扮演與外科醫療手術一樣有效的角色。她幫助我們透過我們內在的力量,擊退外在的侵入。

水是Maicej創作上的優先選擇,雖然不是唯一的選擇。水在畫作中出現,擔任主要的元素,並影響與決定畫中角色的心境、臉部表情與姿態。

睽違一年,Maciej先生這次抵台舉辦2017年個展,集結近三年與「水」相關作品。透過畫作,傳遞自然與人、人與人關係的訊息。

「水」,包容萬物如海一般,既深層寬闊又寧靜。
寧靜的水面,如同處在和諧的關係;在經歷無數充滿差異化、衝突、與掙扎的磨合後,”Couple”(伴侶)畫中描繪出人與人、與自己,至終達到關係的一致性,彷彿那沒有一絲波紋的水面般和諧美好。

狂野如浪,當浪來襲,人還能在自己搭建的居所「堡壘」內,安然存活嗎?我們永遠無法預測與控制未來的改變。”Wave”(浪)表達出當浪來襲,人們依然安然慵懶的蜷縮在自認安全無虞的地方。看似悠閒的畫風,隱約嗅到一股風雨危機前的寧靜。

”Ripples”(漣漪)畫中,稍縱即逝的漣漪,是生命無常的隱喻。小女孩把手伸的長長的,指著漣漪,仿佛聽到她喊著「你看!」的瞬間,漣漪已漸漸消失。但就在這個當下,看到漣漪的當下,幸福與喜悅。

就像Maicej的笑容與純真的心,永遠活在當下。無時無刻,在他身上感受到感恩,與對生命發生感到新奇的好奇心。