Gregor Gaida is a unique Polish artist that lives and works in Bremen, Germany and admits to be crazy about the smell of the wood! It comes of no surprise that he uses wood (often combined with aluminium, polyester and acrylic resin) in a very personal way, converting it to a strong narrative element that leaves the spectator open mouthed. 

Gregor Gaida’s sculptures have something almost unreal; in the first place you get pleasantly stunned, by taking a closer look you find an almost familiar value to the poses of his subjects and in the end you get the impression that something really goes wrong with them. What exactly? Gaida’s creations raise more questions than they answer and this is the deeper value that they possess. And as if that were not enough, the whole feeling is further intensified by the strong symbols, like the flag or the child, that are omnipresent in his work. Let’s take a closer look.

As Gregor Gaida points out, the basis of his creations is often formed by photographs he finds in magazines, books and other visual media. The focus of his interest lies on composition and the protagonists’ pose in the images, as well as the openness in interpreting their actions. A special meaning lies in the gesture that indicates cultural, social or political discrepancies. Thus isolated, the images’ original message collapses and turns into a different, or many different, possibilities of association. The found footage is often no more than an impulse that is no longer discernible in the further development of the shape. In the end, the result remains a translation of reality, equivalent to his inner point of view.

Many of Gaida’s works combine positively charged components which in their sum and constellation, however, have a negative impact. The often aestheticized shape and the object-like character of his works in inconsistent with a narrative, waving between attraction and repulsion. Gaida has a special way to tell stories without spelling them out since merely the possibility of a story is suggested.  And although he points out that the relationship he has with his own creations always remains a secret for the greater audience, he reveals that his inspiration often comes from every day, hard working people.

Furthermore, he admits that although his subjects have something very dynamic, by taking a closer look they reflect a great helplessness since they are often drowned in their own passion. After all, Gaida is the proof that passionate artists, despite the peculiar or even surreal characteristics they may possess, always find their way to communicate with the spectator. And that makes their art even greater… 
Gregor Gaida is represented by Gallery Adler Frankfurt/ NY.