Józef Szajna, Apotheosis, assemblage, 1967

Józef Szajna’s Apotheosis is a moving work at the intersection of visual art and theatre: through the brutal honesty of its materials and composition, it is a manifesto of universal dimensions.

Szajna, who was an Auschwitz survivor, repeatedly returned to themes of memory, trauma and destruction in his work, and Apotheosis fits this narrative with full force. The use of old worn out objects such as tattered fabric, deformed sculptural elements and damaged surfaces, creates an atmosphere of deconstruction and decay. The plate resting in the center of the composition can be read as a metaphor for emptiness and hunger, but also ritual, which, combined with the fragmented elements of the body, creates a universal message about suffering, creating a deeply poignant and timeless work. The texture of the work, full of coarseness and heaviness, evokes associations with earth, ash and transience, highlighting the difficult history that permeates almost every aspect of Szajna’s work.

Natalia Andrzejewska