Touching the origin of the unconscious.

Looking at subtle, minimalist spatial paintings of the artist and interior designer Paul Bik, born in Warsaw and currently living in Milan, one can easily observe in them the presence of the Italian architecture. The Italian postmodernism of the 50s and 60s is for Bik an endless source of inspiration. Deeply moved by the postmodern buildings’ forms, in his works he influences the viewer with a geometric structure, multidimensionality and synthetic forms, as well as a very restricted colour range. Nonetheless, Bik’s work, same as the architecture of postmodernism, is not deprived of a certain dose of a refined decor. Art performed by Bik strongly influences the viewer’s emotions with its ambiguity, combining both the intellectual and the emotional.

Another feature linking Bik’s paintings to the pieces of Italian postmodern architecture is their eclecticism – often because he compiles different types of paints (acrylic and oil) or finishes (matt and shiny). The artist successfully manages to transfer to his paintings the spatiality proper of architecture, and consequently, to give them a three-dimensional character.

Bik achieves the effect of three-dimensionality thanks to using his own technique – the method of accumulating the layers of glued and stained cut cardboard or paper into a mass of simple, geometric forms. A Cardboard gains its extreme durability and flexibility during the process of fixing it with resin. In the final step, Bik reaches for the traditional painting tools, such as paintbrush and paint, giving his spatial constructions a monochrome complexion, or enriching the ascetic composition with a distinct accent, such as a shiny golden colour.