In Witkacy’s view, the individual is essentially alone, confronted by the impersonal indifference of others. He deeply disliked those aspects of life that he regarded as collective and trivial, predicting in his writings on the theory of contemporary culture that they would destroy everything of real value in the world. His portraits, which make up the majority of the photographic work, attempt to explain, or at least come to terms with, the enigmas of personal existence and the threat of its effacement. His personal despairing pessimism – not unlike that of Antonin Artaud – is the source of the dominant tone of the photographs, which is an almost unbearable tension between closeness and distance. There is madness and violence in many of his images, which may not be entirely unrelated to his occasional use of hallucinogenic drugs, but they also contain a lighter sense of absurdity and buffoonery.

This exhibition focuses on landscapes and the artist’s self-portraits.

Review | ‘Between Honey and Ashes (Parts 1 and 2)’ by Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, 21 January 2011.

Invited to choose a selection of S.I. Witkiewicz’s photographs for this exhibition and to accompany them with a work of his own, Mirosław Bałka has done so with characteristic enthusiasm and perspicacity. The Douglas Hyde Gallery thanks him warmly for his commitment to the project. We also wish to express our gratitude to Stefan Okołowicz and Ewa Franczak, from whom we have borrowed the original prints in this exhibition. It is largely because of their dedication that Witkacy’s photographs have become more widely known in recent times, and for this, as well as their generosity in making them available to us, the Gallery is most thankful.

We are also grateful for the support of the Embassy of Poland in Dublin.

Images: (left) Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Madman’s consternation, 1931. Photograph, 12.3 x 9.2 cm. Collection of Ewa Franczak and Stefan Okolowicz. (right) Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Ghost, c. 1930-35. Photograph, 8.8 x 14 cm. Collection of Ewa Franczak and Stefan Okolowicz.