REFLECTIONS ON EVERYMAN: THE WORK OF JAN SAWKA A retrospective exhibition Newark, NJ

Reflections on Everyman: The Work of Jan Sawka  - a retrospective exhibition, curated by Evonne M. Davis and Hanna Maria Sawka, celebrating the life and work of artist Jan Sawka - will open at Newark\'s Gallery Aferro on September 12, 2013.

Jan Sawka (1946-2012) was constantly articulating the struggle for freedom in his artwork for reasons both universal and personal: his early life was overshadowed by his father\'s Stalin-era political imprisonment of seven years, and Sawka was himself exiled from Poland as a result of his activism through his art. Exile did not silence his voice. In 1981, when martial law was imposed in Poland, millions of copies of his Solidarity posters were sold in a bi-partisan fundraiser led by the AFL-CIO, the proceeds of which provided immediate support to besieged Polish dissidents. Contrasted with his exuberance and humor, Sawkas politics could be sharp and biting, although not always apparent at first look.

The fall show at Gallery Aferro comprises of over thirty works, paintings, prints and sculptures, that embody Jan Sawka\'s concern for the human condition in the contemporary world. The title, Reflections on Everyman, points to the recurring motif present in a majority of his works, even appearing in tiny detail on major works and within journals and sketches, of an anonymous figure, sometimes with his/her back to the viewer, at times with wings. This figure is a stand-in for every person facing repression. On view there will be a number of large-scale paintings, drawings, prints, journals, and presentations for monuments and public art pieces. The remarkable variety of his output (which additionally encompasses light works, sculpture, etching, engraving, editorial illustration, books, architectural installation, record covers, multimedia presentations, and stage design) makes Sawka hard to classify. As the artist himself stated in an 1983 interview, I have no idea which trend of art I represent. Nothing interests me less.