Gdańsk to the Gagosian

Ewa Juszkiewicz's ascent into Neo Surrealistic Fame

Is it possible to live, work, and exclusively exhibit your work in one country, and achieve success in an entirely different cultural setting? Absolutely. A case in point is the Polish painter Ewa Juszkiewicz.

In a study conducted by Albert-László Barabási¹, it was found that an artist's value in today's art scene is determined by factors such as the venues where their work is showcased, the previous owners of their pieces, and how these connections link to established artistic canons and art history. The nodes with the most connections often happen to be the prestigious museums. Barabási emphasizes the importance for artists to be mindful of the gatekeepers and the network through which these gatekeepers are connected. Your access to the art market as an artist, he suggests, depends on who is paying attention to whom in this network.

Find a bridge to the center

It seems that getting to the center is way easier if you're already close to it. This poses a challenge for someone from the periphery, like Ewa Juszkiewicz, who spent her entire life in Poland and built up a significant exhibition history there. However, in 2020, she signed with Gagosian, one of the largest galleries globally. It's interesting to note that she hadn't exhibited in the U.S. until 2019, and within a year, she became associated with Gagosian.

If you find yourself far from the epicenter of artistic excellence, there's still a way to get closer.

1. Firstly, the artist has to identify the networks their specific type of art is a part of.

2. Secondly, they should showcase their work wherever there's an opportunity, hoping that the network connections in their current art scene intersect with those in their desired future scene, which is much closer to the center.

Juszkiewicz serves as a great example of this networking approach, even if it was unintentional. In Poland, she's earned immense respect and is widely exhibited. Armed with a PHD in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and an MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, she boasts impeccable technique and can flawlessly replicate the works of masters. However, her art takes a unique turn – all her portraits feature women whose faces are obscured by various elements like hair, plants, masks, cloth, and more. These paintings advocate for a feminist cause, highlighting the loss of identity and challenging the portrayal of women as mere pretty faces with little substance.

Her CV boasts of multiple Euro-centric shows in cities like Bratislava, Gdansk, Warsaw, Krakow, Torino, Kiev, Franfurt, London, Paris, Lublin, Sopot, Berlin, and others. Even though she had zero shows in the U.S., she was showing in prestigious institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow. Since the art world is small, and my assumption is that the Polish art world is even smaller, she and Alison Gingeras crossed paths. Gingeras is a well known curator and art writer based in NY and Warsaw. She bridges the two art worlds.

Ewa Juszkiewicz’s move to the U.S

This series of connections is a bit of a mind bender so bear with me - Juszkiewicz is represented in Europe, and China by a Parisian gallery called Almine Rech, who co-curated a show with Bill Powers from Half Gallery in New York called ‘Chorus’². The show displayed Juszkiewicz’s work and led to the connection between her and Bill Powers, who later put her in his curated show at the Gagosian called ‘Domestic Horror’, and then introduced her to Larry Gagosian as a potential candidate for representation³. Her candidacy was back by Alison Gingeras.

Ewa Juszkiewicz found a way to the center.

Playing to strengths and unique experiences

Ewa Juszkiewicz is no instagram artist and lacks the social media sophistication of some of the other artists I have covered before. She is adept at looking at the past than the future. Here is what she says about her background in an interview with Rachel Feinstein in the Gagosian Quarterly⁴

“My hometown, Gdańsk, in Poland, is a place with over a thousand years of history, full of monuments and old art all around. You could say that this environment shaped me, and this spirit of the past has been present in my life since childhood.”

Juszkiewicz dreamt of being an artist since the age of 8, and she diligently followed that path, eventually earning a PHD in painting (a revelation for me too). Seven years later, she found herself represented by Gagosian. Embracing what's often considered outdated, she crafted her own unique style and narrative. Her hometown, rich in history, provided her with an inherent advantage, and she dedicated years (BFA, MFA, PHD) to studying art and art history. In an interview with Jennifer Higgie⁵ for another Gagosian Quarterly article, Juszkiewicz shares more about her journey:

“In a natural way, in my childhood the art of the past was much closer to me than contemporary art.”

Juszkiewicz started painting her iconic wrapped head portraits in 2011 when she was researching 18th and 19th century paintings and was inspired by the artistry of the portraits of that time, but underwhelmed by the uniform depiction of women’s faces. She gave these paintings new meaning by changing them up and her art career started in earnest.

The Letter (after Adélaïde Labille-Guiard), 2023 Oil on canvas Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

Combining the art influences she grew up with, her passion for historic portraiture, and the skills she built, turned her into a successful career artist. A lot of people eschew their roots and look elsewhere for inspiration, in doing so, they miss out on their lived experience. These experiences are unique because only the person who has experienced them owns them. This can provide fertile ground for creative ideas.

To join the trend or to disrupt it

Last week, I wrote about three things that I found to be helpful attributes for artist success. I want to add one more to that list - artistic style. These past two days have been a revelation in terms of how the present state of art is being viewed by the larger art community⁶. A successful artist doesn’t need to be validated by any kind of museum or institution, which opens up a whole deal of opportunities for artists who may not fit well within institutional confines.

On the other hand, the market is now driven by rich collectors who decide what is worth buying and what isn’t, or in less dignified terms - whats hot and what is not. Ewa Juszkiewicz’s neo surrealist figurative style is definitely in demand. She is on trend.

Given the vetting process now is driven by money and market and not historical, and institutional validation, means that we are in more of a popularity driven art world, where the stylistic gimmicks may be able to pass as real art. I came across an artist recently with auction records in hundreds of thousands whose claim to fame is recreating famous paintings where they replace human figures with broomsticks.

But does this affect you, as an artist who is trying to make it big in the art world? Yes - it does, it means that a lot of mediocre instagramable art is being produced and you are now competing with the broomstick lady is who is better connected and better looking than you are. On the other hand there is traditional talent like Juszkiewicz, whose paintings are relatable and nice but not critical.

For a few years now, the art world has been dominated by a kind of pulp art, it is easy to consume, and popular. Dean Kissick, an art critic, calls this premium mediocrity - polite, unremarkable, middle of the road⁷.

So how do you stand out?

By going back to the fundamentals and formal qualities of art, reflecting on your work, finding meaning in your experiences, and creating a narrative that is personal and long lasting.

Don’t forget to find your bridge to the center, and put your work on Instagram.

Summary

1. Proactively engage in strategic networking, seeking opportunities to showcase work. Building connections within their current artistic communities while aiming to intersect with networks in desired artistic centers can significantly impact an artist's trajectory.

2. Ewa Juszkiewicz's success is attributed to her engagement with her hometown's rich history and her academic journey in art. Artists can embrace their unique backgrounds, drawing inspiration from their roots and personal experiences to develop a distinctive artistic style and narrative.

3. In the current art landscape, success is not solely determined by institutional validation but is also influenced by market trends. That said, the art world right now lacks critical art, and rational criticism. There is a void that is waiting to be filled. This is an opportunity for artists who are figuring out their artistic style and thereby the trajectories of their art careers.

1. https://bigthink.com/the-well/the-science-of-success/

2. https://www.alminerech.com/exhibitions/857-chorus-organized-with-bill-powers

3. https://news.artnet.com/market/gagosian-two-young-female-artists-1978131

4. https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2021/04/30/interview-artist-artist-rachel-feinstein-and-ewa-juszkiewicz/

5. https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2023/11/01/interview-reanimating-history-ewa-juszkiewicz-and-jennifer-higgie-conversation/

6. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/arts/design/art-auction-value-christies-phillips.html

7. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-rise-of-bad-figurative-painting/