Igor Dobrowlski Calls Out Society Through his Unconvential Art
Through the use of precious metals, one artist wants viewers to question their perceptions on important social issues.
For seven years, Polish artist Igor Dobrowolski has been experimenting with a wide array of materials and mediums in an attempt to find the right way to depict the social and political issues of today. One of the artist’s earliest works showing this dates back to 2014. It represents an attempt to give young women in India a voice, when their socio-cultural situations impede their ability to have one. Through the use of various mediums such as charcoal, ink and spray paint, the series showcases seemingly unfinished paintings of women’s faces, either missing their mouth or their eyes. The ashy and somewhat dusty-looking representation of these women, on plywood, canvas or linen backdrops, is ostensibly an attempt to recreate the emotional state of these girls.
Dobrowolski’s work on sculptures and bas reliefs offer a brighter outlook, but they cover themes that are no less bleak — or salient. Stepping away from conventional materials such as oil and paint, the complexity behind the creation of these lustrous bas reliefs reflect the complexity of the issues they uncover. As opposed to a certain softness that emerges from some of his paintings, these creations are full of sharp lines and angular, semi-aggressive elements. For some of these bas reliefs, they are made with a wood base, aluminium, resin and a chrome-plated finish — then scratched with inscriptions.
The themes largely centre on humanity’s mistreatment of nature: In “Doomsday”, the golden chrome-plated sculpture sums up the current time on the infamous doomsday clock, indicating how close we are to a global catastrophe. Other bas reliefs are created with even more precious materials, such as sterling silver or natural quartz crystals.
In “Dark Mirror”, the metallic relief features multiple large quartz crystals, and implores the viewer to confront themselves in the mirror, to reflect on the substances we, as a society, inject into our oceans, our atmosphere, and our environment. Pushing the matter even further, the bas relief asks how we can dare to judge a drug addict for injecting such substances into his body, when we do the same to a far more endangered body, our planet Earth.
Another series of sculptures from Dobrowolski manages to convey a range of abstract sentiments, including sensitivity, grace and mature emotion. These larger golden sculptures seem to depict two attached, yet separate, entities. Though Dobrowolski leaves it up to the viewer’s interpretation, the sculpture gives the impression of two beings — or perhaps, two halves of the self — in constant, fluid dialogue with each other.
