An innovative self-taught artist, Henryk Lobaczewski creates bold artworks and sculptures where texture is king.

Loosely described as European minimalism, the style of artist Henryk Lobaczewski – who just goes by the first-name moniker Henryk – has quickly gained the attention of lovers of modern art around the globe. Admirers of his work are captivated by the bold, broad brushstrokes and thick, pliable mediums the Sydney-based artist concocts with different mixtures of concrete, polymers and gels. 

Commentators on social media have even described Henryk’s art ‘Play-Doh smooshed on a wall’. Rather than taking offence, he delights in that assessment, saying that he wishes more people would explore their playful side. 

“When people say they could do my art, I say they probably should try,” he says, adding: “Everyone is artistic in different forms.”

When speaking with Australian Design Review, Henryk has just been helping the builders work on a charming archway in his new studio. He’s converting the basement space of the Spanish Revival home on Sydney’s North Shore that he shares with his wife and two daughters. Henryk is hoping a sugar hit from this morning’s chocolate treat will propel him to start work for the day. 

Henryk’s work makes a bold statement in any space

“If I’m not excited to paint, then I’m not going to paint, because it’s just not going to be as good,” Henryk says. “I need to find that flow state. The flow is when I’m connected to the energy. It’s like a greater force that’s out there and flows through me. It’s in all of us.”

The artist likens his process to the act of simple play. “When you’re a child, you don’t think, you just play and you create and you have fun,” he explains. “I have two girls – [aged] eight and six – and when they make things, it’s just so beautiful. Artists and creatives, we all just really want to play. We want to go back to being a child, before things become so serious.”

The artist produced a three-piece commission last year called Ode to Play-Doh, a trio of gloriously chunky pieces that are a nod to this iconic feature of Aussie childhoods. 

Where it began – the Solid State series

Henryk’s first foray into chunky textures started with the Solid State series, made from gel on canvas. He had begun experimenting with such thicker mediums so he could create something that would “feel like it’s going to fall off the wall.” 

“That’s what excited me,” he says. “I wanted to see how much paint I could put on a canvas before it fell off. There’s a hell of a lot of texture and it’s very 3D.”

‘Solid State: ‘Into the Deep’ by Henryk. 

Intense colour is an integral aspect of Solid State works, influenced by Henryk experience in fashion photography. They adopt bold, bright colours to highlight every minute detail in the bold brushstrokes, with the most popular colours in the series including intense blues, fluoro pinks and violets. 

Going bolder – the Ultra Matte series

After Solid State became a success, Henryk felt the call to explore ever thicker mediums. He built new mixtures with concrete and polymer. It’s a race against time as the mixture often dries quickly, creating an added pressure the artist relishes.

He took his time to ensure the new mediums wouldn’t crack as they dried. Again, the excitement is in the gravity-defying nature of the work. 

Ultra Matte: ‘Meditation in Violet’ by Henryk. 

“I wanted the works to sit flat, like someone has come and smeared them on the wall and they should be falling off,”  Henryk explains. “That’s what I envisioned, something that shouldn’t be on a wall, but is.”

Henryk has produced many free-form pieces that are in the shape of an S, like a thick brush stroke of plaster. These pieces are a feasible option for hanging or displaying in most spaces, but once Henryk wanted to size up to large scale pieces, he realised he would be producing artwork that could weigh up to 200 kilograms. 

“No one’s going to put 200 kilograms on a wall,” he says. “I was only ever going to sell a couple of them if I did it that way. Then I thought, ‘I want everyone to be able to experience these pieces.’ So I took a mould of the original piece and cast it, so it would be a lot lighter and stronger. We just put wood into the back to drill the hardware. We limit the moulds to 10 pieces and paint them before making a new mould.”

H1 Table from the Ultra Matte series by Henryk. 

Some Ultra Matte pieces are sculptural, floating in a glass frame for 360-degree viewing. Henryk also used the same concrete and polymer mix to create the H1 Side Table, an extremely tactile furniture piece that is reminiscent of a tree trunk. He is planning to release more of these on commission, and is currently considering a flat top for practicality. 

Smoothing it out with the Immersion series 

On display now at the Tappan Collective art gallery in Los Angeles, Henryk’s latest series is a departure from his usual style. He is using the same broad brushstrokes, but the viscosity is more like a traditional oil paint. 

“I mixed oil paint with a lot of turpentine to kind of get a really watery paint that just goes across the raw canvas,” he explains. “In a lot of ways, I’m using the exact same technique for all three series. You can’t overthink it or overwork it. You just have to go with what you’re feeling at that time.”

Immersion #008 by Henryk. 

Inspiration starts at home

Henryk’s home features classic hand-rendered undulations across the heritage Spanish Revival façade. The symmetry with his art technique is undeniable, so it’s no surprise Henryk has involved himself in his home’s renovation process, which he is chronicling on Instagram. 

A South African tradesman taught Henryk a traditional rendering technique, and the artist has now rendered the wall of his garage. The stunning finish will also feature on the walls of the new studio. 

Henryk continues to experiment with new mediums, always in the pursuit of elusive texture and colour combinations that will thrill his followers – and himself. Perhaps inspired by the rendering process at his home, he has returned to the more rustic textures of his Ultra Matte series. 

“Right now, I’m contemplating new mixtures, new shapes and different ways to mess the gel up and make it grittier.”

Imagery supplied.

Related: Cox and The Fin Collection design a discreet workplace for business by day and ‘martinis by night, featuring Henryk’s artwork.