1980s
gelatin-silver print, 30.3 x 23.8 cm,
signed, title of the work and of the series
and the artist’s hair attached to the photograph on the reverse
edition: 1/1

When working on Details, his series of paintings showing horizontal lines of consecutive numbers, Opałka would record himself on a tape while uttering the numbers. With time, he started to photograph his own face to show the signs of ageing. As he explained the process in a series of conversations with Joanna and Paweł Sosnowski (Opałka Index, Propaganda Foundation, 2013): "[...] if you photograph time, if you want to show the obviousness of the change, then any difference - like different hairdo, shirt, or facial expression - will make you fail. You always need to have the same facial expression, the same type of shirt, the same kind of hairdo." This work is an example of such self-portrait, using which Opałka reinforced the time-passing effect seen in his paintings.