Rafał Zajko

Amber Chamber II (Resurgence) 2021 190x100x84cm (electric cord 10 metres) velchromat, acrylic domes, earthenware ceramics, stoneware ceramics, pigmented bio resin, acrylic on wood, amber rosin, dyed wheat, barley seeds, flour, pigmented silicone gum, electric cord, tubing, light Currently on show at @newcontemps @firstsitecolchester I Would very much like to thank @boldtendencies , @chardonnie and @newcontemps for all the support - and - T Hoagy D - for saving the day x 📸: @coreybartlesanderson #rafalzajko

Mothernity (with Dalton Desborough) 2023 Ceramics, fragment of prosthetic breast made from pigmented silicone gum, Copper, brass, tread 65×32×18cm One of the new ceramic works currently on show in “Support Structures” at @gathering.london This piece contains a contribution from @daltondesborough - an artist / medical silicone technician. #rafalzajko

“Resuscitation” - from the current show - @castorprojects ——————- Here, Zajko looks to the past of his Polish upbringing through his take on the character ‘Chochol’ (pronounced ‘Hohou’), the personification of a straw structure positioned around rosebushes to protect them from harsh winter conditions. Chochol features in Stanisław Wyspiański’s 1901 novel The Wedding, portrayed as a mischievous character causing havoc when ignored by the wedding guests. One could look at Chochol as both a symbol of necrosis; dying skin and the decay from the winter, and as one of resuscitation; a harvest of vegetation as a means to give us life and the strength to function and grow. Whilst resuscitation and resurrection have crossovers, one is a medical term, the other more mythical. Wheat and barley come to symbolise the rebirth and resurrection, with bread representing the body of Christ during communion. 📸:@coreybartlesanderson . #rafalzajko

“Returnity” with Veronica Vasta 2024 Performance @britishschoolatrome “Returnity” is a performance piece which is aimed at processing some feelings around mental burnout, nostalgia, loss and revival. We live in times of constant remakes and “throwbacks” – refreshing the familiar is a common trope in late capitalism. A discarded muffler from a Vespa motorbike was the first object I bought after arriving in Rome. During the performance I attempted to bring it back to its original function using my own breath/smoke/voice. For this two-person performance I collaborated with opera singer Veronica Vasta. The staging of the performance consisted of a life-size cardboard maquette of the sarcophagus “Amber Chamber III” and happened at the doors of The British School at Rome during an Open Studio event.

Open Studio (Vol 2) “Pompei Pickle” 2024 British School at Rome   1 – studio view 2 - 3  – “Tomba Tomba I” – fresco in the artist frame (red volcanic ash) – 42x16x3cm 4 – “Tomba Tomba II” – fresco in the artist frame (red volcanic ash) – 42x16x3cm 5 - studio view 6 – fresco table 7 – fresco palettes 8 – studio view   @britishschoolatrome @abbeyawards

Open Studio (Vol.1) “Pompei Pickle” 2024 British School at Rome 1- Studio view 2 - Sunshower” - fresco on wooden panel, red volcanic ash (pozzolana) - 24x16x4cm 3-4 - Incubator” - fresco on cupboard door (pozzolana, grey marble powder), chocolate egg - 90x68x3cm 5-6 - “Serenata” - fresco on cupboard door (pozzolana) - 90 x 68 x 3cm 7 - Pysanky (painted eggs) 8-9 - Crucifiction by Thread I & II” - fresco on wooden panel (pozzolana, white marble powder, vulcanic ash) 10 - studio view (with Vespa muffler) @britishschoolatrome 📸

Few Studio shots from @britishschoolatrome in preparation for the Open Studio event next week. I will be sharing some of the new works in progress (including fresco) and the new performance/opera piece “Returnity” Please share with any pals from Rome Opening 12th June - 6-8.30PM 13th June - 4-7PM 14th June - 4-7PM Grazie Raf

Tomba Brion Carlo Scarpa Built 1968-1978 Ok. So this one is a whopper for me. I have been a huge fan of Scarpa work for years and I have seen examples of his brilliance in flesh in several places but this place is a knockout. Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) was one of the most enigmatic and underappreciated architects of the 20th century. I had it on my bucket list and feeling incredible privilege to visit it in flesh - it was an awfully rainy day - I have got lost in the Italian countryside and got scammed by the taxi drivers (twice) but I made it (and made out of it). It was a form of the pilgrimage so the drama of the journey just added to the experience. Located 2 hour drive from Venice Tomba Brion was designed as the burial spot of the Brion Family - owners of the Brionvega electronics company known for a massive contributions to the post-second world war technological and social advancements. Company had a huge impact on the aesthetic of 1960s Italian (and global) utilitarian design. Originally designed to host the Brion Family - Tomba Brion became also a place of Carlo Scarpa final rest after his tragic accidental death whilst on the research trip in Japan. In his final will he stipulated that secretly he designed himself a final resting spot within the family’s Tomb. Here I’m only limited to 10 photos - I can’t give the scope of the attention to detail and consideration for all the elements (different things are activated depending on weather conditions)

Abbey Scholarship at British School at Rome mid-way post. It’s been an amazing 6 weeks - my heart and head is full of wholesome knowledge and new skills that already having a huge impact on my practice. I dived deep into Research around Etruscan, Roman and Catholic tombs in connection with ideas of resuscitation, revival and resurrection (death,rebirth and… nostalgia). I started learning the Fresco techniques from Anna de Ruso who spent years restoring the works of the masters (including that of Michelangelo Sistine Chapel!) We focused on so many different technical avenues - from ancient Pompeian , to that of renaissance masters and more modern political use of the technique in the last century. I was taught the ways to restore the old wall works and will assist at a restoration job next month. Where the fruits of my labour will stay behind the scenes for now - here is a selection of some sights, bits and bobs. 1 - Me and my Fresco tutor (whilst making samples of the Pompeian polished Bollo technique) 2 - mandatory Colliseo visit 3 - Food and oil storage vessels - Ostia Antica 4 - Fresco from the Roman Columbarium first century AD 5 - visit to the Naples and site of Herculaneum 6 - Visit to Pompeii - to see preserved frescoes in-situ 7 - lot of church hopping 8 - Casa di Balla 9 - architectural marvels of the modernism 10 - Pompeian snack bar @abbeyawards @britishschoolatrome

I’m a Roman! (for the next 3 months anyway😁) Excited to share that I’m a current @abbeyawards fellow in Painting at the British School in Rome. Big thank you to the panel for selecting me for this amazing opportunity. I arrived exactly a week ago and I’m settling in nicely. Over the next three months I’ll be researching fresco techniques (including the pigment production), visiting sites designed by Carlo Scarpa, wandering around tombs and deepening my admiration towards Italian utilitarian design. Pic 1 - Accademia Nationale di San Luca Pic 2 - Channeling Pope during Intro talk at BSR Pic 3 - Studio at BSR seen from a mezzanine Pic 4 - Facade of BSR Pic 5 - 9 - seedlings of the research Pic 10 - my sketchbook after the local feral cat attack @britishschoolatrome If anyone got any recommendations let me know 🙏

Really happy to share the new edition I created for @wysing.arts.centre to celebrate my recent commissions at Wysing and St Peter’s School in Huntington. we were here 2024 Acrylic resin component, plastic pallet, acrylic paint 28х 24 × 3cm Edition of 3 + 2AP “In 2022, Wysing Arts Centre and St Peter’s School, Huntingdon, began a new partnership which saw artist Rafał Zajko ‘in residence’ across a school year, running workshops with 270 Year 7 students. This led to a series of sculptures now displayed throughout the school as well as a significant commission based around their desires for the future, situated right at school’s entrance, entitled “We Were Here (Producers)”. These editions are born out of this residency, with their shape directly connecting to the bas-relief sculpture produced for the front of the school building. The left-over pallets from the school’s art classes are coveted and protected, treasured as relics, and encased in a hard concrete-like shell in the shape of a head. Leaving the collective paint marks on the pallet serves as a metaphor for the potential impact and stories yet untold of this new generation - what will be their future actions and contributions? It’s a physical manifestation of their creativity and individuality, with each pallet appearing as a separate character At a time when art is being removed from curricula, these works and the workshops that inspired them are testaments to the ongoing necessity, and basic human right, to be creative and express oneself.” 📸: @brendancavaciuti (editions) 📸: @robharr

Bread and Milk (details) 2023 Mural and sculptural reliefs from group show Darker, Lighter, Puffy, Flat, Kunsthalle Wien 2023, photo: Kunsthalle Wien Curated by @l.auraamann @hannah.marynissen