NADA Miami 2022

One of the inspirations for this painting was Marco Antonio Raimondi’s engraving Raphael’s Dream, which Krzysztofiak found in Roger Caillois’ book In the Heart of Fantasy. In the book, Caillois tries to show which works are truly fantastic, and those not ostensibly fantastic. What attracts his attention in Raimondi’s graphic art is the fact that it doesn’t feature a flurry of oddities, and the only supernatural intervention is the presence of three maggots on the shore. The realistic features include three sleeping women and a tragedy unfolding in the distance - a burning city, fleeing people, and crackling lightnings; there is panic. Similarly to Raphael’s Dream, Krzysztofiak’s painting also shows someone sleeping in safety - in a cozy bed, by the light of a bedside lamp. But at the same time, something is amiss. It’s the spiders crawling out of the cracks in the walls - the artist’s fears of the war nearby. Even though it’s not her house that’s on fire, she feels a poignant fear and sense of guilt born from powerlessness.