The Remembered Present: Andrzej Jackowski

Born to Polish parents, the first 11 years of Andrzej Jackowski’s life were spent in a post-war refugee camp, and The Remembered Present delves into the resulting themes of alienation, family, childhood and nationality that are ever-present in the artist’s work.

As one of the leading figurative painters of his generation, the work of Andrzej Jackowski is mostly autobiographical, based on his early childhood memories, recollections of a family history in Poland and the feelings of alienation and enclosure that these experiences roused. Using powerful, insistent images from his past Jackowski explores ideas of human memory and psyche both on a personal and more collective level. As such, his paintings and drawings have come to be imbued with some of the defining imagery of modern European history.

The Remembered Present is the first profile on his hugely intriguing artist and includes essays by Gabriel Josopovici, Timothy Hyman and Professor Michael Tucker. Images of dispossession, loss and identity are continually addressed, bringing ideas of betrayal, childhood and nationality to the forefront of current debates concerning painting. Whether personal or private in intention, his work is an embodiment of contemporary historical painting.