Radek Sziaga, “Chciałem Odciąć Się (I Want to Cut Myself Off)”, 2015, Oil on Canvas, 55 x 59 Inches, Private Collection

Radek Szlaga lives and works in Warsaw, Poland and Detroit, USA. After finishing his studies at Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland and receiving recognition for controversy surrounding his work ‘Bad Drawings,’ Szlaga earned consideration as one of the most sophisticated and potent Polish painters of his generation.

His work takes an exploratory and experimental approach to both American and Eastern European visual cultures, as well as his own subconscious. Central to his work is an investigation of identity, and the boundary between its reality and simulation. His practice relies on both historical research and an introspective mining on his own memories and dreams.

His subtle manipulations of second hand and often iconic images, stemming from everything between rap culture and colonialism, address questions of public archives, memory and what it means to paint in this digital age.