_„… every map displays a specific world; so does it display the world as it is, as it was, as it will be, as it could be, or as it should be?“_ (Christian Jacob: Towards a Cultural History of Cartography, 1996)

  
One of the peculiar phenomena of European science, literature and art since the 19th century is the persistent presence of figures who work as field surveyors and who optionally measure or redesign the topography of real and fictional spaces. Mapping becomes an external reality and archival device for objective knowledge and reality. _„Maps are statements about the physical nature of the world, its shape and its limits. They display beliefs or concepts about the nature of the world and how it can be depicted.“_ (Christian Jacob) The works of this series are playing with several respective ideas of the predictability, representability and controllability (or uncontrollability) of the world. 

The so called „fractal landscapes“ are based on a computer generated algorithm of surfaces that imitates the appearance of a natural terrain, which was first introduced by Benoit Mandelbrot in the late 70´s. The technique of carving in these woodcuts also correspond with the so called Perlin Noise, a type of gradient noise used in computer graphics. 

  

Landvermesser

With his latest works, created over the past two years, Osnowski takes a new approach to landscape, both thematically and stylistically, venturing into uncharted territory in the field of printmaking. In these pieces, Osnowski turns to an abstract theoretical concept of landscape: Arcadia. In crafting his large-scale woodcuts, he employs fractal geometry to create a digitally-inspired, mechanically amorphous hybrid landscape. These representations, grounded in complex fractal patterns, seem to explore the convergence of technology and spirituality, aiming to reveal the inherent order of an “Arcadian” landscape, where the organic and mechanical, the macrocosmic and microcosmic, merge and intertwine.

Through the repeated juxtaposition and overlapping of prismatic variations and perspectives of interacting color fields, Osnowski appears to investigate the origin of fragmentation. What we see are fragments of a previously larger whole, yet these very gaps—often understood in classical modernism as “eloquent voids”—reveal deeper layers beneath. This leads to a strikingly colorful and poetically vibrant depiction in the works. The carefully chosen color contrasts between different layers create the illusion of optical space, and the levels seem to float, producing a sense of visual depth.

The repeated printing and overprinting of the image also alters its relationship to time. There is no clear sequence, no causal “this happened because of that.” Instead, clusters emerge: bundles of actions that occurred sequentially but are all visible simultaneously. This very specific temporality—the intertwining of the past, present, and potential future—fascinates the artist. Like a palimpsest, Osnowski layers one image upon another without fully erasing the previous, a process that can also be understood as a metaphor for perception.

Laniakea

Nebula 2

Kaneko

With his latest works, created over the past two years, the artist takes a new approach to landscape, both thematically and stylistically, venturing into uncharted territory in the field of printmaking. In these pieces, Osnowski turns to an abstract theoretical concept of landscape: Arcadia. In crafting his large-scale woodcuts, he employs fractal geometry to create a digitally-inspired, mechanically amorphous hybrid landscape. These representations, grounded in complex fractal patterns, seem to explore the convergence of technology and spirituality, aiming to reveal the inherent order of an “Arcadian” landscape, where the organic and mechanical, the macrocosmic and microcosmic, merge and intertwine.

Through the repeated juxtaposition and overlapping of prismatic variations and perspectives of interacting color fields, Osnowski appears to investigate the origin of fragmentation. What we see are fragments of a previously larger whole, yet these very gaps—often understood in classical modernism as “eloquent voids”—reveal deeper layers beneath. This leads to a strikingly colorful and poetically vibrant depiction in the works. The carefully chosen color contrasts between different layers create the illusion of optical space, and the levels seem to float, producing a sense of visual depth.

The repeated printing and overprinting of the image also alters its relationship to time. There is no clear sequence, no causal “this happened because of that.” Instead, clusters emerge: bundles of actions that occurred sequentially but are all visible simultaneously. This very specific temporality—the intertwining of the past, present, and potential future—fascinates the artist. Like a palimpsest, Osnowski layers one image upon another without fully erasing the previous, a process that can also be understood as a metaphor for perception.

Henon

The title of this series „Fractus“ refers to the so called „chaos theory“, a mathematical term, closely linked to fractal structures. Almost on the border between something and nothing, these experimental abstract prints explore the very nature of what constitutes an image. The swaths of color and forms, combined with the remains of digital like traces of interferences are record of the physical gestures involved in the construction. The technique of overlapping prints of different woodblocks creates new correlations, elements of deconstruction and reconstruction alternate constantly or even shift places such as if it would be a section of a large continental drift. These works look as though they could be some strange scientific evidence of natural processes.

Fractus

The title of this series „Cantor“ refers to the so called „chaos theory“, a mathematical term, closely linked to fractal structures. Almost on the border between something and nothing, these experimental abstract prints explore the very nature of what constitutes an image. The swaths of color and forms, combined with the remains of digital like traces of interferences are record of the physical gestures involved in the construction. The technique of overlapping prints of different woodblocks creates new correlations, elements of deconstruction and reconstruction alternate constantly or even shift places such as if it would be a section of a large continental drift. These works look as though they could be some strange scientific evidence of natural processes.

  

Cantor

In this series, Osnowski attempts to evoke fractal artificiality through a new form of abstraction and thus question our relationship to immateriality and space. Some of these works might appear like a psychedelic trip through extra-planetary landscapes. He aims to represent the motifs that may not necessarily reflect reality, but rather transform them into a fictitious framework of thoughts about time and space. His intention is to blur the boundaries between rationality and emotions, simultaneously weaving them into a grid of geometric harmony or chaos, thus creating a constant interplay between figurativeness and abstraction.

  

Cloud

The serie of large-scale monochromatic woodcuts shows images of an empty Seascape on the west coast of Europe, in southern Portugal. This landscape is characterized by its broad boundlessness.

The composition of each image always follows the same strict classical principle: The Focus goes out to the sea to an endless horizon in the distance that divides the image exactly in the middle. The upper half of the picture portrays a cloudy sky during the twilight of the dawning night. In the lower half the ocean and waves break in endless repetition on the shore and blur the border between land and sea.

  
The endlessness of the sky and sea provoke us to consider our own limitations: The horizon is a limit we can never reach, that constantly suggests to us its distance. At the same time these images are also projections of our dreams and aspirations, suggested to unparalleled distance and depth. But it is only the glimpse into the distance that truly opens up our view to the inside, to the width and boundlessness within ourselves. Due to their delimitation, these images also refer to the painting „The Monk by the Sea“ by Caspar David Friedrich, on which Heinrich von Kleist remarked: „…since in its monotony and boundlessness it has no foreground except the frame, when viewing it, it is as if one’s eyelids had been cut away.”.

  
The original digital photographs are transformed during a month-long time-consuming handwork into a digital barcode which will be carved into wood to be finally printed by hand on paper. The use of any mechanical equipment is deliberately avoided. The traditional analog printing of images and the associated loss of information compared to the original photographs, exerts a peculiar tension by underlining the contrast between the digital immaterial image and the handmade physical print.

Entre 4

_„… every map displays a specific world; so does it display the world as it is, as it was, as it will be, as it could be, or as it should be?“_ (Christian Jacob: Towards a Cultural History of Cartography, 1996)

One of the peculiar phenomena of European science, literature and art since the 19th century is the persistent presence of figures who work as field surveyors and who optionally measure or redesign the topography of real and fictional spaces. Mapping becomes an external reality and archival device for objective knowledge and reality. _„Maps are statements about the physical nature of the world, its shape and its limits. They display beliefs or concepts about the nature of the world and how it can be depicted.“_ (Christian Jacob) The works of this series are playing with several respective ideas of the predictability, representability and controllability (or uncontrollability) of the world. 

The so called „fractal landscapes“ are based on a computer generated algorithm of surfaces that imitates the appearance of a natural terrain, which was first introduced by Benoit Mandelbrot in the late 70´s. The technique of carving in these woodcuts also correspond with the so called Perlin Noise, a type of gradient noise used in computer graphics.

Anstieg

_„… every map displays a specific world; so does it display the world as it is, as it was, as it will be, as it could be, or as it should be?“_ (Christian Jacob: Towards a Cultural History of Cartography, 1996)

One of the peculiar phenomena of European science, literature and art since the 19th century is the persistent presence of figures who work as field surveyors and who optionally measure or redesign the topography of real and fictional spaces. Mapping becomes an external reality and archival device for objective knowledge and reality. _„Maps are statements about the physical nature of the world, its shape and its limits. They display beliefs or concepts about the nature of the world and how it can be depicted.“_ (Christian Jacob)

The works of this series are playing with several respective ideas of the predictability, representability and controllability (or uncontrollability) of the world. 

Anhöhe / Hypsos

The series shows a terrain that is dissolving, structures that are disintegrating, a place that is disappearing and is barely recognisable as a landscape. At the same time, the figurative representation recedes, dissolves, passes over into the abstract, as if the decay had to be documented, but this happens in a tolerable way behind the veil of abstraction.

  

Lichtung

The series of 3 woodcuts in their title refers on the one hand to the classical genre of the „Ukijo-e” (Flowing World), a name of a genre of Japanese painting and printmaking, on the other hand also to the element water in general. At the same time, each single graphics in their respective design, composition, specific graphic means and finally their individual titles allude to 3 well-known woodcuts by Katsushika Hokusai: “Kirifuri Waterfall”, “The Great Wave of Kanagawa” and “Yoro Waterfall “.

  
The basic visual idea of ​​this print series is that of image manipulation and the associated critical questioning of the visible: To what extent can a new visibility in the midst of the virtualized visible rediscover the artistically “invisible”?

Floating world

The series “Icarian Landscape” shows a terrain that is dissolving, structures that are disintegrating, a place that is disappearing and is barely recognisable as a landscape. At the same time, the figurative representation recedes, dissolves, passes over into the abstract, as if the decay had to be documented.

Osnowskis works of this series utilize the digital realm to combine with elements of traditional printing techniques like woodcut. The artists process of carving involves using digital gestures and touchscreen failures to develop his works, which once complete, may be read as an abstracted and monochrome version of contemporary digital image, full of vibrant color, suggestive with distortions, static and blips that contrast with subtle gradations of luminous color saturation. 

  

Ikarische Landschaft

CORDOAMA is a large-scale monochromatic woodcut that depicts a roaring wave towering towards the observer, capturing a fleeting moment at sea when waves break in endless repetition onto the shore, blurring the boundary between land, sea, and sky. The title refers to a location on the west coast of Europe, in southern Portugal, where the artist resided nearby and where the original photograph was taken: Praia do Cordoama.

This work was awarded 3rd place of the international LUXEMBOURG ART PRIZE in 2024.

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Stefan Osnowski