The project consists of two photographs that form a diptych. The title refers to the seemingly safe world in which we live and in which we believe that we have everything under control. At least that is the impression we have. Our homes, our lives, are our little kingdoms in which we rule as rulers. As the saying goes: 'My house is my fortress". This blissful ignorance, fuelled by information from individually selected media sources, lulls us into a deep slumber and only allows us to see the things that directly affect us.
The main inspiration for this project is the Doomsday Clock, developed in 1947 by the Chicago Atomic Scientists and published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in response to the success of the Manhattan Project in developing atomic bombs.
The main inspiration for this project is the Doomsday Clock, developed in 1947 by the Chicago Atomic Scientists and published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in response to the success of the Manhattan Project in developing atomic bombs.
Originally, this clock was set to 7 minutes to midnight - when midnight symbolically signalled the end of humanity.
This year, 2023, the President of the UN Council began his inaugural speech with the words: "We have never been so close to the end - the Doomsday Clock now reads 90 seconds to midnight"...
Both parts of the diptych bear titles that represent symbolic hours, an allusion to the above-mentioned clock readings and a warning of what lies ahead.
This year, 2023, the President of the UN Council began his inaugural speech with the words: "We have never been so close to the end - the Doomsday Clock now reads 90 seconds to midnight"...
Both parts of the diptych bear titles that represent symbolic hours, an allusion to the above-mentioned clock readings and a warning of what lies ahead.
90 seconds before Midnight
The main motif of the painting is a woman sitting on a throne and taking a selfie with her phone. Her pose, corrective braces, make-up and facial expression emphasise the joyful, happy moment and the state in which she's unaware of any threat. Above her hangs a painting - her portrait, an impressive, strong ruler protecting the local kingdom from outside influences. The background behind the figure is a painting by Bernardo Bellotto Canalletto - a view of Wilanów, a district in the capital of Poland. Thanks to the works of this painter, which illustrate 18th century Warsaw, the old town centre, which was razed to the ground after the Second World War, was rebuilt - this serves as a symbolic reminder that we should remember in our everyday lives: Nothing lasts forever.
Another remarkable detail is the presence of sleeping lions. In art, these animals were usually depicted as vigilant, with at least one eyelid open - always on guard. What will we think, what will we feel, when we see that the lions in the painting simply have no eyes? On the left side, on the pedestal, there is a crystal ball - it is a Renaissance symbol of the universe, the causal force that permeates the world. However, if we look at it closely, we can see that it is not full, i.e. it is not a crystal but an empty glass sphere. So is the care of the gods just an illusion? A fly is walking on the glass sphere - an announcement of imminent, inevitable changes. On the right-hand side is a clock whose hands bring the moment of the inevitable closer. In this part of the diptych, there is still time to get out of your comfort zone and save yourself.
2023, photography. Limited edition 8 + 2AP. Pigment print on the cotton Fine Art paper, 940×1850 mm ( without passepartout 740×1650 mm).
The Midnight
The same scene, the same perspective, midnight, the end of our time. The final conclusion of history - the history of all mankind.
2023, photography, limited edition 8 + 2AP. Pigment print on the cotton Fine Art paper, 940×1850 mm ( without passepartout 740×1650 mm).
