Non–Humans. Urbanized are three sculptures selected from the Non–Humans series that were transferred to an urban space. To complete the process, they were cast in aluminium, bronze and epoxy resin. The installation was carried out in 2021 thanks to the cooperation with the Masovian Institute of Culture in Warsaw, Poland. Dimensions: 250 x 150 x 190/ 220 x 200 x 190/ 310 x 100 x 180 cm.
Non–Humans in front of the Masovian Institute of Culture. Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
A Dream. I was afraid. I ran away. I listened. I searched. I demolished. I apologized. I built anew. A dream. It appeared. It’s alive.
These are among the first words that Jan Gostynski utters. It seems that this precedence of words indicates their meaning, which defines the drama of creating a young draftsman, sculptor, painter - an artist. One might be tempted to say that there are many like Jan.... One-of-a-kind and unique in their innateness, separate, anti-system, living on the border of worlds outsiders. Buried in the shells of their jittery, always hypersensitive thoughts, escaping the human gaze and any judgment. At the same time, stubborn, with full consistency pursuing their, only known to them , "plan". They seek and tear out a piece of the world’s floor for their own use, in order to scream on it, writhing in pain, rejoicing in joy, hiding in silence from fear, destroying and encapsulating it all in the plastic form of a work of art. The stereotype suggests that people like John are usually not admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts either the first or tenth time. Allegedly, it is difficult to form creative attitudes in the already formed personality of an artist. And yet. It happened. And I guess it happened well for both sides, because the still incomprehensible power of art sometimes feeds on , „mistake” and revels in the incompatibility of disparate galaxies.
The peculiarity of Jan Gostynski’s art stems from deep layers of sensitivity, the excessive activity of which manifests itself in the author’s daydreams and dreamed nightmares. The first, almost direct notation of dream visions is drawing on paper. This is a visual, almost corporeal reaction to the oneiric reality, the transience of which the artist hurries to tame and tame. The result of hard, physical work are hundreds of scratched sheets of paper, on which the trace of the tool results from the author’s violent gesture. The transfer of dreamy visions to the real world has no end on paper and unfolds in space, taking on a sculptural form rich in shapes. Gostynski seems to shout sculpting the dead „corporeality” of his dreams, fears, anxieties, escapes. By building up a storm - he performs a symbolic annihilation of dream dreams in order to resurrect and tame them anew. In the end, they become obedient to the artist and exist only on his terms. Nevertheless, in this demiurgic act one can sense the weight of the struggle and skirmishes with the resistant matter of dream and reality. Form seems here to be the principle of this, how separate presence. The form amazes with its shape, texture, the way it is constructed, self-supporting, carrying masses and maintaining balance. It all becomes a multi-element arrangement, consisting of phantasmagorical, nameless ,’characters’/non-humans devoid of legible species characteristics. And although the solids brought into existence are annihilated by the stillness of sculptural matter, they are unsettling in their suggestion of organic potentiality. Their shapes can be transformed at any moment. Their permanence depends on the one who subjugates them.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Non–Humans; aluminium cast, Elektoralna Street, Warsaw, Poland, 2023.
Text: Paweł Mysera, Jan Gostyński.
Photo: Agnieszka Sztejerwald, Arkadiusz Glegoła, Jan Gostyński.
