Mikołaj Sobczak Ancora

Capitain Petzel is pleased to announce Mikołaj Sobczak’s second solo exhibition at the gallery. The exhibition centers on three large-format paintings commissioned by the Salzburger Kunstverein. They were first shown in 2025 as part of the exhibition _Moon, Sun, Mercury_ at the Salzburger Kunstverein, which was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Poland. In _Ancora_ (Italian for “again” or “still”), Mikołaj Sobczak interweaves historical events with elements of the present, focusing on the recurring cycles through which historical narratives are continually reconfigured. In doing so, he approaches each era through its diverse connections – ranging from political figures and celebrities to pop-cultural references, technological developments, and memes. The works in the exhibition blend historical allegories, queer identities, and contemporary social critique into a dense, multilayered visual language. The paintings _Moon (Propaganda)_, _Sun (Magical Realism)_, and _Mercury_ _(Underground)_ bring together a wide range of historical and contemporary queer activists, revolutionaries, writers, artists, and scholars. They appear in carefully choreographed proximity to antagonistic archetypes, ranging from tech oligarchs to grotesque personifications of capitalism and fascism. By assembling these disparate figures on large-format canvases – a format traditionally associated with history painting – Mikołaj Sobczak reveals narratives of resistance and survival in the face of oppressive power structures.