Collection

The Latin phrase Annuit coeptis translates as “God has favoured our undertaking.” This inscription also adorns the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, A modified image of the Great Seal occupies the central section of Jakub Woynarowski’s diagram. But the triangle traditionally featuring the Eye of Providence has been filled in; consequently, the symbol of divine power atop the hierarchical structure remains shrouded in mystery. The black triangle is a visual equivalent of a question mark, potential responses provided by “seals” discernible on either side, images of supernatural superiority: the wide-open Eye of Vigilance, and the dormant lidded eye. This division reflects the vertical tension discernible in the symbolic image of the pyramid, where the material “foundation” merges with the spiritual “crowning”. The lower diagram section depicts symbols of the four “earthly elements” and the upper section elements representing the whole of the universe, a human being and two towers: the Tower of Babel and Tatlin’s Tower, the Monument to the Third International. They become a clasp uniting the ancient with the modern.

Draughtsman, graphic artist, author of comic books and artbooks, creator of films and installations; curator. He studied graphic arts and intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. He combines art history research with artistic practice, questioning common beliefs and universally accepted facts. In his work he emphasises that ideas of modernism and the avant-garde were not as original as they were believed to be, but had appeared in previous centuries. The author of comic books produced in the form of essays, visual atlases, and the occasional graphic novel, he has been recognised for such works with the Grand Prix at the International Comic Book Festival in Łódź (2007) and the Grand Prix of the National Artbook and Art Album Competition (2011), among other awards. His project to analyse the symbolism of the canopy over the entrance to Józef Piłsudski’s burial crypt, developed jointly with the Institute of Architecture, represented Poland at the 14^th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014. Laureate of the Polityka Passport Award (2014). He lives and works in Kraków.