'My Beautiful Coffin' was inspired by the idea of my own imaginary death. I wanted to symbolically portrait an act of carrying a coffin and to show the interaction between random attendees present at the scene. It is a scene of a fake death and since the coffin is empty, it suggests an act of artistic transformation. Originally titled 'Pallbearers' the painting reveals my fascination with eccentric characters and marks a shift in my artistic direction towards more elaborate and enigmatic imagery.
Michael Slusakowicz is a Polish born painter based in United Kingdom. Since the graduation from Camberwell College of Arts in 2011, he has been working predominately in painting, video and drawing, often using different mediums to express his subject matter.
Slusakowicz’s paintings reflect his interest in the medium of oil paint, and further investigation into the colour and texture however, his main interest is the story behind the painting. His subject matter has got something to do with an attempt to capture a moment in time in a similar manner to the movie stills. For Slusakowicz the viewer is the witness confronted with fears and dark fantasies and paintings act as a trigger for viewers imaginations. His recent solo and group exhibitions include: Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024 at NPG London, Everyday Mooonday in Seoul (2023), Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition (2021 and 2022).