tomasz machciński: american dream, I made it all because of you
curators: katarzyna karwańska and zofia płoska-czartoryska
Created in collaboration with the Tomasz Machciński Foundation, the first solo show dedicated to Tomasz Machciński at the Christian Berst Art Brut Gallery features his photographic self-portraits. It covers five decades of his immense artistic practice, which remained private until now. Two films are also presented in the exhibition: Incognito and A Child from a Catalogue. The artist’s entire life has been nurtured by the American dream and fueled by two powerful illusions that have given meaning to his life: the magic of the screen and the perpetual quest for true maternal love.
I made it all because of you wrote Tomasz Machciński in one of the dozens of letters sent to actress Joan Tompkins. A rising star in Hollywood, the actress saw a photograph of Tomasz as a bedridden child in a Red Cross catalog. This catalog listed war orphans available for distant adoption. She then sent a letter to Tomasz with one of her film photos, which she signed With love for Tommy. Joan ‘Mom’ Tompkins. For Tomasz, born in 1942 in a small war-torn Polish village, this began an ambiguous relationship that transcended borders, decades, and social classes.
—text by Zofia Płoska-Czartoryska et Katarzyna Karwańska
The exhibition is on display in the main gallery as well as in the bridge space, which has been transformed into a cinema for the occasion. Unreleased archives can also be viewed in this space.
Tomasz Machciński (1942–2022), a war orphan and Polish laborer, dedicated 50 years of his life to creating over 22,000 photographic self-portraits. Ten years before Cindy Sherman, Machciński embarked on an intense quest for identity. Recently discovered, this monumental work has been acclaimed at the Rencontres d’Arles, Paris Photo, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and the Independent Art Fair in New York.
- According to the artist’s wishes and in agreement with the Machciński Foundation, only 2,500 photographs from the estate will eventually be available for sale.
catalog published on the occasion of the exhibition
tomasz machciński : american dream, I made it all because of you
curators: zofia płoska-czartoryska and katarzyna karwańska
from september 14th to november 10th
texts: will heinrich, marc donnadieu, zofia płoska-czartoryska and katarzyna karwańska
get the catalog: click here