Warsaw, February 19, 2025
Curator: Grażyna Bastek
Exhibition of Paintings by Wojciech Cieśniewski
📅 Opening Date: March 1, 2025
📍 Premier Location: Złota 44,https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajmund_Ziemski Warsaw
📍 Public Showing: from April 2025 – Wojciech Cieśniewski Foundation headquarters, Warsaw
Organizer: 407 Art Foundation
Do virtues and sins still hold the same meaning in the 21st century?
Wojciech Cieśniewski, one of the most prominent contemporary Polish painters, in his new series of works confronts the viewer with fundamental questions about the human condition and shifting moral values. His exhibition, “Faces of the Soul: Virtues and Sins”, organized by 407 Art Foundation, attempts to redefine concepts that for centuries have outlined humanity’s ethical boundaries.
Grażyna Bastek: It is an Artist on the Soul and Emotions
Wojciech Cieśniewski, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and a student of Rajmund Ziemski, merges a masterful painting technique with philosophical reflection in his works. His art goes beyond traditional representations of virtues and vices—rather than straightforward allegories, it presents multidimensional narratives. His painting evokes emotions, provokes reflection, and remains in the viewer’s memory for a long time.
A Curatorial Perspective on the Transformation of Values
The exhibition’s curators, Dr. Grażyna Bastek, a distinguished art historian and curator at the National Museum in Warsaw, and Aron Pudełko, emphasize that Cieśniewski’s series offers no easy answers. As Dr. Grażyna Bastek notes:
“Cieśniewski does not moralize but places the viewer before a mirror. His works lie on the boundary between what is known and what is subconsciously felt. Is wrath a destructive force or a form of liberation? Is courage heroism, or is it tenderness and the willingness to be yourself despite societal expectations?”
The exhibition comprises 12 paintings—five dedicated to the four cardinal virtues and seven interpreting the seven deadly sins. Among the featured works are:
- “Wrath” – a portrait of Girolamo Savonarola, whose anger and radicalism consumed him in the darkness of his own convictions.
- “Laziness” – a self-portrait of the artist juxtaposed with Van Gogh’s likeness, posing the question: is laziness an escape, or a brief suspension in a world filled with expectations?
- “Courage” – a reinterpretation of strength and bravery, presented as tenderness and readiness to accept one’s own sensitivity.
Vernissage at Złota 44 and an International Exhibition Tour
The official premiere of the exhibition will take place on March 1, 2025, during the Exclusive VIP & PRESS PREVIEW at Złota 44 in Warsaw, where invited guests from Poland and abroad will have the opportunity to view Cieśniewski’s works first. Starting in April 2025, the exhibition will be open to the public at the Wojciech Cieśniewski Foundation headquarters, and will then embark on an international tour running until the summer of 2026.
“Faces of the Soul: Virtues and Sins” – More Than an Exhibition
As 407 Art Foundation highlights in the foreword to the event:
“This is not merely an encounter with art, but a journey inward. It is a moment of reflection on the values that define us in the modern world. It is an exhibition that leaves a lasting mark.”
📢 Media Contact:
📩 Email: info@407artfoundation.org
📞 Phone: +48 605 403 100 (Grzegorz Jaworski)
📍 Event Website: www.407artfoundation.org
🎨 Honorary Patronage: Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Mayor of the Śródmieście district of Warsaw
🤝 Strategic Partner: Sadkowski i Wspólnicy Law Firm
🤝 Partners: Wojciech Cieśniewski Foundation, Złota 44, Artinfo.pl.
English (UK) 
Polski