Marek Szwarc

MAREK SZWARC

MAREK SZWARC

(2014)

In 1921 my grandfather, Marek Szwarc (1882-1958), then a young Polish artist recently arrived in Paris, spent the first of what were to be many summers in Lectoure, a remote town in the south of France. This first visit was a pivotal moment in his life, laying the foundations for a strongly spiritual artistic practice.

My grandfather died when I was young, so I have no memories of him. But I grew up surrounded by his paintings and sculptures, and I often heard about Lectoure.

In 2013, invited to do a residency at the Center for Art and Photography in Lectoure, I sought to better understand his ideas on faith, beauty and creativity, and, through him, to think of what that means for me. The following year I exhibited some of his paintings from that first summer in Lectoure, side by side with my work produced during my residency there.

Still life. 2013. Gelatin silver print. 23.5 x 17.5 inches. Edition of 5.

Still life. 2015. Gelatin silver print. 19 x 14 inches. Edition of 5.

Still life. 2015. Gelatin silver print. 14 x 19 inches. Edition of 5.

Quest. 2014. 70 minute loop. Silent.