Ariel Michalak Viscera

Viscera explores the duality of human interior and the dependence between the emotional and the physical. Through the presentation of literal human insides, the author invites us to look into the depths of the body and to reflect on the inevitable processes of decomposition and regeneration. In the creator’s vision, the body becomes the vessel for contacting the world which leaves traces of emotions in this transparent form we see every day.

opening: 19.12.2025 (Friday), 7 PM
where: Galeria Labirynt, 5 ks. J. Popiełuszki Street, Lublin
the exhibition is open until: 18.01.2026 (Tue-Sun, from 12 PM to 7 PM
admission: full price ticket – 8 zł, reduced ticket – 4 zł (free admission for the vernissage)

Inspired by ancient Greek poems by Aeschylus, Hebrew beliefs and medical practices of East Asia, the author presents the inside of a human body as the home of emotions. Skin, as the first painting in the series, reveals the most external, protective layer in the state of decomposition. Its leakiness demands us to go deeper. The function of Muscles is to support and to retain – these are all the possible ways of dealing with reality. Intestines are the centre of change and transformation where clearing and excretion of the filth takes place. Lungs are responsible for distribution of energy all over the body while sadness and regret paralyse their function. Soft Tissues join our bodies, creating a unified, complex organism. Their destiny is to balance between decomposition and regeneration happening inside the body. Cells are the deepest and most complex part of our organism. They are omnipresent – in the muscles, intestines, lungs, liver, soft tissues and bones, finally within our DNA, making our experience of the body both individualistic and collective.

To show the process of transformation, the artist cuts, rips and glues fragments of the works, unveiling deeply hidden layers of human interior, encouraging the audience to reflect on the inseparability of the body from emotions, which is a universal experience of being a human.

Artistic installations glued, sewn and folded manually create bulgy, organic forms that, presented as layers, combine into one living organism. By using textiles, glue, tissues, tights, linen and pigment, the artist imagined an anatomical cross-section to show us human’s raw corporeality.

Ariel Michalak (he/him) – socially engaged visual artist from Lublin. He works on behalf of the local queer community. Privately, he is interested in art and culture of the Far East and cinema. His actions are inspired by intersectional feminism and queer theory. He works with the mixed media technique, which combines watercolour, ink, crayons, markers and whatever he gets his hands on. His art is focused on the exploration and coexistence of corporeality, flora and fauna.