Dawid Planeta

“The Unknown”

March 12th - April 4th 2020

Opening night reception with artist March 12th 6-9pm

Roq La Rue is very pleased to present a show by Polish born artist Dawid Planeta. Planeta’s digital works recently zipped like wildlife through the online world thanks to the striking symbolism and mystical nature of his dark, atmospheric landscapes and imagery. In response to experiencing a crippling depression, the artist decided to use the bleakness he was expiring as a source of introspection and exploration. By going deep into his subconscious a murky jungle world started to emerge, populated by giant spirit animals with glowing eyes that seem like beacons in the gloom. While the creatures are massively oversized and and loom imposingly, especially when paired with a the tiny, almost unnoticeable human figure that stands regarding them, they radiate a calm serenity. The wondrousness of these spirit animals is a comforting gift, and finding them and then having them bend a regarding gaze upon you feels like a connection back to the numinous world of spirituality and connection. In other hands a depiction of this sort could come across as overly sentimental and saccharine, but the nocturne earnestness of Planeta’s vision allows the contemplation of redefining our personal darknesses and using them as a source of power, rather than weakness. 

“By exploring deep areas of the subconscious we can reach universal values. The deepest truth cannot be understood with logical thinking, but you can hear it in the voice of intuition. In my works I try to present the world as it really is beyond that safe, known area we usually inhabit within our mind - wild, unintelligible, full of mystical power and overwhelming beauty, where man is no longer a master, but a small element of something bigger. 

The confrontation with everything that I’ve been hiding from myself, with emotions I’ve been suppressing over the years was one of the most difficult, but also the most beautiful and opening experience of my life. When one is depressed, nothing seems to have a purpose; nothing is exciting. Eventually, I stopped thinking about depression as a weakness and delved into it. I started to create dark, mysterious, and frightening pictures, many of them depicting little human figures lost in a dark jungle facing huge creatures. Creating them and contemplating the final effect helped me to grow my awareness of who I am and what I’m afraid of. You need to know all parts of life, dark and bright.”

- Dawid Planeta 

To view the show: Please click on a thumbnail to see each work. Information about each piece will appear when you hover over the image. On mobile, click the white dot in the bottom right corner to view the information. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or to get larger images of each piece.

All prints are signed, numbered, and come with a certificate of authenticity. They also have a quote handwritten by Planeta on the lower margin of each print (you can read each one on the images in the gallery).

All pricing includes your choice of a simple white or black wood frame. If you would like something different let us know! We can mat each piece to show the writing below or up to the actual image boundary.