In Grzegorz Bojanowski's rich and varied oeuvre the latest cycles of works constitute a very coherent successively realized whole. They are original 'abstract landscapes' created in a similar background - sand.

The artist has always been concerned with landscape. Bojanowski created images of landscape, with specific mood, independent, usually constructed, deprived of the presence of people and composed of the 'architectural' manifestations of nature, or he used images of nature as components of contesting compound expressions on human condition.

Taking into account the latest works, the word landscape should certainly be put in inverted commas. The world presented there includes a limited and specific range of elements. They are unique objets-trouvés: stones, shells, sticks, feathers. The artist builds clear simple signs: circles, triangles, squares, lines. In a way, the compositions become dually universal because of the materials used: the usual and common components of the surrounding, and because of the character of the constructed forms: primary and basic ones.

Structures created by the artist are seemingly cool and well-ordered. Multiplied repetitions of a motif deprive objects of any traces of expression, aesthetic values or metaphorical references. Despite their geometry the arrangements of forms are still soft as if they were connected with their organic character for ever. Entering the world of abstract signs, objects still preserve their realistic value.

The symbols referred to, connected with a given tradition, have their direct semantic references, the area of meanings culturally worked out. New, unexpectedly appearing qualities and meanings still expand this area, establishing the conviction that it is impossible to create the image of the whole phenomena, only creating the set of their varied shades (or just 'shadows').

In Bojanowski's work there are two essential levels of reflection which overlap each other and co-exist together: the layer of artistic experiment accompanied by the whole technical and technological devices as well as the layer of universal considerations expressed by the intellectual language of symbols.

The mutual relations of forms and arrangements restrained in their expression, the impact of given shapes and their juxtaposition reflect the essence of laws which are ubiquitous. Grzegorz Bojanowski's ordering character of work might be an expression of the need to understand phenomena, it is a manifestation of contemplative approach to the world. The artist's considerations taken up in the latest works lead to the ordering experience and reality, discuss the issues of dualism and relativity; the artist is simultaneously concerned with relations and mutual dependence of different codes which he uses to describe the world and its elements.

The objects created by the artist out of the elements of the surrounding constitute the subject of art already at the stage of space compositions in the sand. From the aesthetic point of view they might be value for the sake of it, value unfortunately characterized by transience yet including all their natural features: physically touchable shapes, weight, texture and even smell. Ephemerality of manifestations is a nearly inborn attribute of nature of performed activities. In the awareness of art recipients these creatures ultimately exist due to photography. In order to limit the influence of this 'overwhelming' medium, all the photographs are taken from one carefully chosen point of view.

From fragments of existing qualities (of different character: material, sensual, emotional) Grzegorz Bojanowski creates the new reality, having the character of deliberate work. Varied codes of information record participate in this process: drawing, writing, photography - autonomous elements getting into the net of relationships with one another.

The artist's work covers not only creating the compositions 'on the surface', but also everything that happens within the plane of the background. For Bojanowski every irritation of surface and structure of the ground becomes the source of inspiration. There are a lot of textural and structural phenomena (particularly exposed in the series of works devoted to the theory of unism): slots, furrows and reliefs - a variety of arrangements of the matter of dried or wet sand. Thus both the plane of the ground and the relief worked out, and the objects - sculptures of nature set on the ground become the elements of the image. Contrast of plans allows for the existence of purely plastic values: space, form relations, rhythm. There is a specific tension in the sphere: the object - the background. The set up objects stay in the explicit contrast to the smooth perfectly arranged background. Light coming from a selected point, from the right angle endows the composition with the value of spaciousness, simultaneously exposing all sort of relations between the compositional elements of the arrangement and intensifying moodcreating values.

Moreover shadows of objects introduce the seemingly absent emotional factor into these structural apparently cold forms, the geometry of their arrangements is deprived of austerity. The compositions are characterized by specific rhythm, the space arrangement, in spite of the fact they are composed of similar modular elements, slightly differs from one another at the level of the components size, their texture, sometimes their tone. Thus rhythm is released by a subtle variety of static motives. In this way the artist juxtaposes an individualized object with the set of elements which are similar though not identical.

The compositions are certainly dominated by the imperative of sorting out internal order, however, distinct character of individual elements is taken into account. Although these elements are submitted to the laws of becoming alike and the laws organizing the whole, they stay separate and individualized. Grzegorz Bojanowski's works confirm the priority of speculative factor in his creation, the factor yielding creation, deliberate construction over the elements of random chance, improvisation and uncontrolled emotions.

This kind of the artist's attitude could be observed from the very beginning of his work as a photographer, in the period which might be defined as 'the youth stage'. It sounds surprising as in the early cycles of works there are many seemingly spontaneous endeavours, discussing the problems of human condition, revealing various existential anxieties, as well as considerations based on eschatological issues. There is also a lot of nostalgic element in them, both with regard to the problem of human fate and the phenomena of nature surrounding man. However, they have always been created compositions, emphasizing tension originating from the astonishing arrangement of selected elements.

Bojanowski has always presented a transformed, not realistic image of the surrounding world. We might state that in a way he manipulates the reality (its image), performing acts of sacralization and dissemination, sophistication and banalization, rejection of the right basic sense and conveying different meanings in new contexts.

The artist's interference has a multidimensional character. At the beginning it was already present at the stage of applied photographic techniques. In this way the artist examined the potential of photography as an artistic sphere. It should be stressed here that another significant aspect of Grzegorz Bojanowski's work was, besides the essence of intellectual message, the technical aspect of the photographing and developing process, raising the issue of autothematization, both with reference to himself as 'a photographer' and to the very art of photography and its characteristic techniques.

In the compositions in the sand we can certainly notice the artist's enchantment with matter, light, they reveal the contemplative character of his contact with nature. At the same time, however, technical aspects become significant, e.g. the ways of smoothing the surface, the ways of dealing with dry and wet ground, methods of making drawings in the sand, problems with the right lightening, choice of perspective, angle of taking photos, etc. The photos preserve memory referring to some challenges connected with the material and accompanying anxieties.

Bojanowski preserves the precisely worked out, though naturally transient image by means of medium which - ostensibly - manages to keep it in a complete form for ever. From the present - and later from the past - into the future he transfers the reflection of reality which does not exist any more and was ephemeral from the very beginning. In this sense photography lies as it lets us stay in touch with a mere phantom of the phenomenon.

Bojanowski has always emphasized the conventionary reality of an image using some 'distancing' elements: image graining, contouring, spray, retouch of photos, solarization, collage, contrasts of acutance and finally introducing an observer - transferred from another world - into the world presented in the photos. The artist provides delicate existences with eternity, appealing to the biggest competitor of our memory. However, in the contact with the photographic image of nature we do not face any physically touchable aspect of an object, we face its sign on the plane, ostensibly credible yet actually deceiving our senses.

From the beginning Bojanowski is consistently concerned - in various contexts - with the problem of relativism in the reception of visual values. The subject of his art is an alleged unity (as it is continuously demystified) and the actual variety of phenomena, constant presence of opposites and imperfection of all sensual experience. This wide, quite reserved and sometimes filled with a sense of humour, reflexive theme weakens the geometrical austerity of some of his compositions.

The artist emphasizes the aspect of incredibility of sensual reception, the inability of including in art, even seemingly so fully imitative and complete as photography is, the essence of a phenomenon. To achieve the goal, he juxtaposes some concrete objects in his works and he confronts them with a photographic image, stressing the imperfection and ostensibility of resemblance.

That kind of artistic consideration is somehow included in a traditional long-term discourse concerning the potential, goals and limits of art, the mutual relations between different records of an object appearance and their relation to the archetype.

Creating photographic reflections of objects and phenomena Grzegorz Bojanowski attempts to get closer to them, to perceive their essence, and as an expression of these relations he tries to create their ideogram - as he writes. The artist endows the observed or constructed ephemeral phenomena with durability and he prolongs their existence in a work of art made with the use of medium - photography.

The image becomes a testimony to existence, and as it exists only as a component of the world of a photographic print - it is also a testimony of the time passing. Time destroys manifestations of nature and compositions made by man - photography tries to preserve them for ever.

Time is one of the most important heroes in Grzegorz Bojanowski's work. It is recalled by both conventional image motives such as a clock or a poster - hourglass, and the sequential compositions concerning the issue of changeability of phenomena or the collage arrangements of literary motives comprising existential messages.

The separate 'level' at which the artist challenges time is the very process of taking photos, considerations concerning its nature (Bojanowski is aware of the ambiguous character of 'photographing procedure') and autothematic themes included in the artist's enunciations. In his tendency to record and present all the traces of his creative activity Grzegorz Bojanowski approaches a unique meditative attitude, facing Time and its infinite continuum with humility but also with a resolution to register and defy the time passing, preserving, even though seemingly, the photographic evidence of existence for all eternity. The gesture of creation is almost ritual in its character.

In his creation Grzegorz Photohrapher Bojanowski is more a creator than a judge, he manifests the fact of belonging to the world which surrounds him, he identifies with it, thus documenting its existence he simultaneously enriches the knowledge about himself, deeply penetrating the structure of his own consciousness.

Dariusz Leśnikowski

Transl. Elżbieta Rodzeń-Leśnikowska