Artist Pawel Kuczynski highlights the visual power of satire through his ongoing series of surreal illustrations. Crafted in a realistic style, he plays with elements of scale and environment to create fantastical compositions in which anything and everything is possible. They offer witty commentary on contemporary issues with a special interest paid to technology and the influence it has over our everyday lives.
Kuczynski’s most striking works are about our relationship to our cell phones and tablets. One of his newest pieces is about the viral sensation Pokémon Go, and it pictures Pikachu saddled on the neck of a man as it rides him like a horse. The tiny yellow creature exerts complete control as the man just stares down blankly at his electronic device—he’s at Pikachu’s every whim. Other recent illustrations reimagine family dinner not with nourishing food and bustling conversation, but sitting around a wireless router guzzling the blue light radiating off the screens of their respective mobile devices.
It’s these bizarre situations that make Kuczynski’s work so affecting. By considering the implications for its subjects, we too reflect on their issues and how they impact our own lives.
