Marcin Cienski is a master of shadows: his work reminds us that the absence of light can be as rich, lush, and meaningful as its presence. He explores the tension between the everyday and the mysterious. Old photographs, magazine images, and personal memories serve as the inspiration for his richly detailed oil paintings.
Cienski’s works combine familiar objects and scenes with an underlying sense of threat, evoking an atmosphere of undefined stories. While his paintings suggest narrative possibilities, they remain deliberately open to interpretation. He highlights the material power of oil paint, leaving visible brushstrokes that give the medium its own parallel reality. Spirituality plays a significant role in his work, without passing judgment on the nature of devotion. Instead, he invites viewers to contemplate.
2001: Graduated from the Fine Arts Academy, Krakow, Poland
Key Solo Exhibitions :
- 2019: Victory Memorial, Jochen Hempel Gallery, Leipzig, Germany
- 2016: I Am Not Going to Please You, envoy enterprises, New York, USA
- 2014: Blissful Summit Days, envoy enterprises, New York, USA
- 2012: Late Guests, Marc Straus Gallery, New York, USA
- 2010: Pensjonat, Galerie Römerapotheke, Zurich, Switzerland
- 2009: Bad Air, Geukens & DeVil, Antwerp, Belgium
Selected Group Exhibitions :
- 2021: The Shadow of the Cross, Kusseneers Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
- 2018: Black/Noir, Gallery Youn, Montreal, Canada
- 2015: Nocturne, Kunsthalle der Sparkasse, Leipzig, Germany
- 2013: Twilight Zone, Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany
- 2008: Nominated for the Sovereign European Art Prize
Collections :
- Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, USA
- Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, Switzerland
- SOR Rusche Collection, Oelde, Germany
- AmC Collezione Coppola, Vicenza, Italy