Through archival imagery and his reflective engagement with the outdoors, Jan Kubisa draws viewers into spaces where human and natural elements hold equal presence.
Instant imagery and digital saturation have reshaped the act of remembering. Memory is increasingly outsourced to storage systems that sort and preserve on our behalf. In contrast, Kubisa turns to a deliberate form of visual record, where each painting becomes a focused reflection on presence and the significance of being seen.
With a background in archaeology and preservation, Kubisa engages found photographs as raw material. These images, often fully separated from their original contexts, are reinterpreted through a limited palette and complex studies of gesture and gaze. Rather than restoring what is absent, the work draws out what continues to resonate beneath the surface.
The figures are composed with quiet precision, shaped by an understanding of human fragility and impermanence. Kubisa is drawn to the particular silence that emanates from archival material. His painting process reflects sustained attention to emotional undercurrents and visual memory.
Kubisa’s work invites reflection rather than resolution. It offers viewers a space to engage with images that feel familiar yet remain partially withheld. In shifting attention away from documentation and toward encounter, these paintings open a space for recognition and closeness.
