Allen Mack - Solaris, 2023 - Skowronscy Art

Contemporary Art Gallery Warsaw Skowronscy Art – Artist: All the works of art – The Artist's Work – Solaris, 2023

Other works by this artist: Allen Mack

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Allen Mack, Solaris, 2023. Referring to Stanisław Lem’s work, the artist attempts to escape not into the cosmic abyss, but into his own memory — into the nostalgic realm of childhood. The surreal landscape seamlessly combines elements of nature with a dehumanised, digital world. In the centre of the composition, between outstretched hands, a luminous sphere floats. This is a direct reference to the artist’s memory of receiving a decorative yellow stone from his mother. This personal symbol becomes the heart of the painting, a sign of longing for the lost time of innocence. However, the world of adulthood brutally imposes its laws. Mack visualises this process as the imposition of successive cold, metallic masks on the luminous sphere, symbolising the loss of authenticity and the painful necessity of adaptation.

Category: Painting

Artistic style: Figurative art

Technique: Oil on canvas

Size: 100 cm x 100 cm

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Allen Mack, “Solaris”, 2023 – contemporary painting inspired by Stanisław Lem, memory and childhood

Allen Mack, painting “Solaris”, 2023 is a piece of contemporary surreal figurative painting that takes inspiration from Stanisław Lem’s novel, yet turns the journey away from outer space and into the depths of personal memory. The dreamlike landscape merges elements of nature – water, sunset, reflections – with a sense of an inhuman, digital environment. Rising from the dark surface of the sea we see a glowing orb held by monumental hands, crowned by a stack of cold, metallic faces that resemble superimposed masks.

The luminous sphere at the centre of the composition refers directly to a childhood memory: a yellow decorative stone given to the artist by his mother. This intimate symbol becomes the heart of the painting, a sign of longing for a lost time of innocence. Its warm light contrasts sharply with the icy masks above, creating tension between authentic emotion and externally imposed identity.

Mack visualises the process of growing up as the gradual layering of metal-like masks over the glowing core of memory. The rigid, sculptural faces stand for the pressure of adulthood, the need to adapt and the loss of spontaneity. What was once a pure experience becomes overlaid by social roles, expectations and digital filters.

“Solaris”, 2023, can be read as an emotional self-portrait of Allen Mack – an attempt to protect the most fragile memory from being absorbed by a technological, post-digital reality. The work will appeal to collectors interested in symbolic, narrative-driven contemporary painting, where literary references (Lem’s “Solaris”) intertwine with personal mythology and reflections on identity.

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