An exhibition by Joanna M. Wężyk, a leading contemporary Polish painter (and former children’s book illustrator) and educator, was on view at PIASA Gallery (The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America) in Manhattan in October and November 2026. It had an intriguing title: “Gaggle of Souls: In Search of the Conscious Tourist.”
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In this series of works, the artist examines the thin line between the sacred nature of architecture and the absurdity of human nature, and considers how we perceive temples and their symbols. She drew inspiration from sacred buildings, in this case Gothic ones, and the symbolism and mythology associated with them, as well as from fictional contemporary literature.
“These paintings reminded me of myself, a tourist who visits extraordinary places, sees, among other things, thirteen white geese strolling around the cloisters of the Gothic Cathedral in Barcelona, the scaffolding and cranes around the Sagrada Família, and the mysterious carvings in Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, whose meaning we still don’t know today, takes photos, looks up sudden information on a phone and tries to understand their history,” she said.
She is interested in the fascination with mysteries, hidden symbols, mythology and legends, whose meanings are now often difficult to understand.
She is also partly inspired by the way Dan Brown presents such mysteries in “The Da Vinci Code,” or rather, she is fascinated by the lack of both historical and religious knowledge among today’s sensation seekers, that is, so-called fake news.
“My paintings show the modern tourist as a kind of ‘digital pilgrim’ who travels to famous places, such as European churches, rich in historical and artistic objects. Instead of stopping and calmly experiencing a given place, we often photograph it, check information on our phones and quickly share our impressions on social media. So I wonder what happens to our experience when, instead of looking, listening and contemplating, we view the wonders of human culture around us through a camera or a phone screen. In trying to photograph and understand everything, don’t we lose something of the experience of the place itself?” she said.
Monumental architecture and layered symbolism are becoming harder to contemplate amid crowds of visitors focused primarily on capturing a superficial image.
Wężyk’s paintings, with their beautiful, delicate color palette, are done in mixed media: ink, acrylic and oil on panel.
Her artistic practice spans a variety of media, combining traditional techniques with innovative approaches, and she experiments with oil glazes, gouaches, acrylics and alcohol-based inks. Her work explores themes of nostalgia, melancholy and abandonment, as well as concepts deeply rooted in the history of Europe and America.
Wężyk’s paintings explore intimacy and the restoration of forgotten or secret spaces, such as churches and royal chambers. Her works have an extraordinary mood and atmosphere, often lit by flashes of light.
Joanna M. Wężyk is a professional artist and professor of painting in the Fine Arts Department at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. She received a Master of Fine Arts in painting and new media from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Wężyk also holds a master’s degree in education from Kean University in New Jersey and is a graduate of the Graphic Arts Department of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Her paintings have been shown in numerous exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Asia, including at Tina Kim Gallery in New York, Kukje Gallery in Seoul, Galerie Pferim in France and Pryzmat Gallery in Kraków. Her works are held in private and institutional collections, including the collections of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and the Library of Congress in Washington. Among the artist’s honors are the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Fine Arts and a grant from the Artists and Writers Educational and Development Foundation. She was also nominated for the Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant Program and the Dedalus Foundation Fellowship.
The opening of the exhibition took place on Friday, October 9, 2026. The organizer of exhibitions at PIASA is Mariusz Bargielski.
Text and photos: Zosia Zeleska-Bobrowski
Source: Nowy Dziennik
