NYAB Event - "Memorial Tribute: Jacek Maczynski 1963-2011" Exhibition

"Memorial Tribute: Jacek Maczynski 1963-2011" Exhibition

Ouchi Gallery

This event has ended.

After graduating from the College for Photography and Audio-Visual Techniques in Warsaw, Poland Maczynski moved to New York City where he lived for many years.
In New York he found himself constantly exposed to diversity and unique multicultural communities, and through his artwork, which he exhibited frequently around New York, he illustrated his interest in connecting these cultures. With his art he hoped to enable an artistic dialogue to tie together these many cultural traditions. Working with egg tempera paint and oil, as a reference to the art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe, and painting monochromatically, as a reference to Chinese ink plum painting, Maczynski's art sought to bridge the worlds of East and West. His works connected the spiritual heritage of both worlds, translating Catholic experiences of religious contemplation to Zen Buddhist exercises of the spirit. Through his art, he connected us to each other and to our shared pasts. For those fortunate enough to have know him and been touched by his artworks, Jacek Maczynski's untimely death is a true loss.
http://jmaczynski.blogspot.com/

Jacek Maczynski
Every week at our openings at Ouchi Gallery, we looked forward to seeing him. Jacek Maczynski, an artist from Poland, sadly passed away on the twenty-first of October in his parents’ home. Up until that day he was still active online. He had posted something on Japan, for us, “Nihon,” our motherland. I realized how much he must have loved Japan. Of course, with time we are all fated to pass away. But for me, the fact that my life, too, will come to an end is something I am prone forget.
That people die, this reality, I don’t believe it to be just a matter of time, how fast or slow. Rather, I believe the true value of life lies in how one spends that precious time: to what extent they allow themselves to be moved, and what they are able to leave behind. I believe Jacek brought much love to this home, “Ouchi,” a place where many people come and can feel moved, and our lives can have significance. It's from here I believe we must continue to endeavor with love.

Director Arisa i

[Image: Jacek Maczynski "Untitled" (2011) egg temperea, tempera on canvas, 20 x 16 in.]