Maciej Cieśla is an emerging Polish artist whose works have featured in exhibitions, publications and collections across his homeland. His style combines neo-fauvism, abstract geometric forms, and symbolism, achieving a striking artistic signature marked by strong colors, confident strokes and intriguing subjects. We sat down with Maciej to talk about current projects, his inspiration, and the start of his artistic career.
It’s easy to recognize that a lot of your work is inspired by nature. Where does this connection come from?
Although man surrounds himself with modernity, he misses nature the most. Its richness, tranquility, diversity, and nature has an infinite number of symbols and forms. I believe that this is not only a great inspiration for me but for the vast majority of artists.
In addition, my dream is to live in the high mountains as it positively affects my imagination. I believe that art should be an honest form of expression, so I don’t push these symbols away.
How does primitive art influence your creative process?
Primitive art, in my opinion, is simply an honest, subconscious expression of human understanding of the image. People prefer a symbol over a real object as it’s easier to absorb. I am intrigued by how people subconsciously look for archetypes in art, and how they automatically translate them into emotions and information.
When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
It is hard to say, it was a process. I became very passionate about art during my studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, but in hindsight it was only during my cooperation with galleries and serious clients that I understood the role of the artist. So I could say I have wanted to be an artist since my first artistic endeavors, but it was only recently that I understood what it meant to be an artist.
Can you talk about your artistic influences and other artists you are most inspired by?
I think that the greatest artists were those who shaped the real world of painting – Jean Miro, Picasso, Pollock, Francis Bacon, Munch, to name a few. Their attitude that consisted of this unconstrained desire to create honest real art inspires me. I am not inspired by living artists for many reasons.
Do you prefer to work alone or collaborate with others?
I am a super introverted person and very territorial about my workspace, so it comes as no surprise that I prefer working alone.
Can you tell us about a project you’re currently working on?
In the coming months, I will be working more on simplifying the form of my paintings. I want to go more in the direction I mentioned: pure honest forms of expression.
I am also preparing for the solo exhibition in Dresden which is set to take place at the end of this year. In this exhibition, I would like to focus on two series of works: my paintings on the portrait archetype and the seasons in an abstract perspective.
What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t an artist?
I would find ordinary work but in some beautiful place. With me, it’s all or nothing. If you can’t fulfill your ambitions, then you should make your dreams come true in the easiest way.
Have you found any other artists on Singulart whose work you admire?
Of course! I believe Milos Hronec is a really good young artist, and Detlef Aderhold has a very unique composition. Elsewhere, Jordi Machí has very brave artworks with interesting compositions, while Roman Nogin has amazingly detailed works. I’m also a fan of Andrej Barov’s very unique style.
What advice could you give to young artists starting out?
Well, artists usually say things like “do not stop painting, believe in yourself” etc, but this is quite obvious. My best advice would be: besides English, learn German and French. I am observing a lot of galleries and artists. In my eyes, Germany and France are the best art markets in the world because they have the biggest number of high-quality galleries.
Broadly speaking, the technical ability of contemporary artists is currently quite low, so if you make the effort to become multilingual, you will easily make connections within these respective art markets (with the desired level of artistic skill).
