Kris Kupec (Krzysztof Kupeć).
For several years, I have been creating artworks using charcoal on canvas. My work explores history, the memory of place, architecture, and the emotions embedded in spaces. I am particularly interested in finding a balance between documentation, interpretation, and personal experience.
I am currently working on a series devoted to pre-war Warsaw. It is the first chapter of a broader artistic project whose aim is to revive the memory of places, people, and stories that gradually fade with the passage of time.
Although I was not born in Warsaw, over the years it has become a place particularly close to my heart. I am fascinated by its history, architecture, and unique atmosphere. In my work, I seek not only to recreate the appearance of former streets and buildings, but also to convey the emotions associated with them and a sense of presence of a world that no longer exists.
I chose charcoal deliberately. I am drawn to its rawness, simplicity, and remarkable ability to create light, shadow, and texture. I am searching for my own visual language, working at the boundary between drawing, photography, and more expressive forms of artistic expression.
Archival materials often provide the starting point for my work, but I do not treat them merely as documents. For me, they are the beginning of a story about memory, the passage of time, and the relationship between people and places.