Sebastian JARYSZEK (b. 1976), "Przester," from the series "Deconstructions," 2026

acrylic on canvas, 100 x 50 cm, signed lower right: S. Jaryszek 26

Born in 1976. A painter and tattoo artist who has been shaping the history of Polish tattoo art for nearly three decades. His work draws on his experience working with skin, drawing, and line, which he translates into his own distinctive painterly language.

In his tattoo art, he draws on Eastern influences and the biomechanical aesthetics of H.R. Giger, interpreting them in his own distinctive way. He works freehand, drawing directly on the skin with his characteristic, bold strokes. He has created tattoos for many figures in the worlds of culture and media.

In his painting, he experiments with form, color, and structure. His paintings are characterized by expressive color schemes and a geometric approach to depicting the body. Sharp angles and broken planes become tools for the deliberate deformation of anatomy in the spirit of Cubist stylization. The artist uses patches of color as a structural element of the painting—color serves as a vehicle for drama and emotion.

In his works, one can find echoes of Picasso’s interwar art, Brancusi’s sculptural conception of form, and references to Modigliani’s modernist nudes.

A central motif in his work is the female body—depicted as both strong and fragile, deconstructed, yet self-aware. His interest in femininity also found expression in his original project “Junior Ink Women,” carried out between 2007 and 2020. Over the course of six editions, a series of photographs was created that showcased freedom of self-expression and challenged social taboos associated with the art of tattooing. The project was accompanied by a limited-edition calendar, often referred to as the “Pirelli Calendar” of the tattoo industry.

The artist has several solo exhibitions and artistic projects to his credit. He made his debut in 2008 with the exhibition “Junior No. 1.” In 2009, together with Marcin Łukasiewicz, he carried out the project “Postcards from Norblin,” created in the industrial spaces of the former Norblin factory in Warsaw. In 2020, he organized an online opening for the exhibition “Sharp Vision,” combined with an auction of his works, the proceeds of which were donated to support the Children’s Home in Żary.

In 2025, he presented the exhibition “Year of the Dragon: Art Written in Images,” which was the culmination of a year-long project inspired by the symbol of the dragon—one of the most important motifs in his tattoo art, as well as a personal reference for the artist, who was born in the Year of the Dragon.