11 SEP – 14 NOV 2026

Opening – 10 SEP 2026, 6–10 pm

Persons Projects is proud to present Rhizome, a solo exhibition by Paweł Książek that unfolds as an open constellation of ideas, images, and associations rather than a linear narrative. Bringing together black-and-white drawings from the Narration series with a selection of new paintings, the exhibition creates a dialogue between image and text, where the visual and the written coexist in tension and resonance. Throughout the exhibition, Książek’s exceptional command of drawing and painting is evident in his precise handling of line, tone, and light, lending the works remarkable intensity and presence.

The title Rhizome refers to the philosophical concept developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. Unlike a tree, which grows from a single root and follows a hierarchical structure, a rhizome expands in multiple directions without a fixed beginning or end. Applied to Książek’s practice, this concept suggests an open network in which images, memories, thoughts, and references form unexpected connections. Each work retains its autonomy while simultaneously contributing to a larger web of relationships.

The drawings in the Narration series combine image and text without allowing either to dominate. Fragments of bodies, faces, mechanical forms, textures, and ambiguous landscapes shift between figuration and abstraction, evoking images drawn from memory or the subconscious. The accompanying texts neither illustrate nor explain the images; instead, words and images function as parallel modes of thought, occasionally intersecting while maintaining their independence.

Książek’s paintings reveal an equally sophisticated painterly language. Built through translucent layers of color, softened contours, and subtle modulations of light, they oscillate between precise observation and near abstraction. Flames, faces, and everyday objects emerge from dark, atmospheric surfaces before dissolving back into paint, creating an almost cinematic sense of movement and perception.

Drawing on the legacies of conceptual and postwar art, Książek investigates the relationship between image, language, and thought. While his practice resonates with artists such as Joseph Kosuth, Art & Language, Anselm Kiefer, and William Kentridge, it is distinguished by its quiet intensity, contemplative pace, and gradual accumulation of meaning. Rhizomeinvites viewers to move freely between images and words, discovering their own pathways through an open and interconnected field of associations.