On the wooden walls of the barns in the Podlasie village of Sitawka, villagers are resting on a bench, a woman is milking a cow, two girls are riding bicycles, and neighbours are looking out onto the country road. Arkadiusz Andrejkow has recreated these scenes from old photographs on the farm buildings. The wooden panels in Sitawka were created thanks to an initiative by the local Rural Housewives’ Association.
It all began with a bench
Sitawka lies about 43 km north of Białystok. In 2020, members of the Rural Housewives’ Association invited Arkadiusz Andrejkow to their village; his work on barns in the Podkarpacie region had inspired them to create a similar gallery in their own village. They funded the first piece out of their own pockets. An image of elderly people sitting on a bench appeared on a wooden wall, evoking the old custom of neighbours gathering in front of their houses. The painting attracted a great deal of interest, and thanks to support from the local council, four more were created that very same year.
Deskale in Sitawka: a residents’ initiative
The village headman and branch chairman Damian Bakun, along with cultural organiser Izabela Gwiazdowska, were primarily responsible for developing the initiative. Funding was also provided by the Podlaskie Voivodeship local government and the Sokólski District Council. By the time Andrejkow concluded his latest visit to Sitawka on 24 September 2021, the village already had 13 ‘deskale’! The last four depicted an elderly woman milking a cow, a former blacksmith, the village headman, and a man repairing residents’ bicycles. The wooden walls thus immortalised people whose significance is deeply rooted in the daily life of this small community.
From family albums to the walls of barns
Preserved photographs, including those by Zenon Witkowski, played an extremely important role in the entire process of creating the wooden panels. A photographer originally from Vilnius, he found himself in the Sitawka area after the Second World War and documented the lives of its inhabitants. Years later, the images he collected made it possible to recreate the faces, gestures and everyday activities of former neighbours. Witkowski himself was also honoured with a painted portrait. Reproductions of the photographs and information about the people depicted have been placed next to the wooden figures. In this way, figures who were anonymous to visitors regain their identity, and viewing the successive images provides an opportunity to learn about family histories.
The ‘deskale’ in Sitawka – technique
Deskale, also known as ‘drewnale’, are murals painted on wooden planks rather than on a wall. The works in Sitawka feature a very restrained colour palette: light silhouettes stand out against the greys and browns of the old walls. Every unevenness, crack and trace of history is visible on them, whilst the fading outlines resemble faded prints. Andrejkow, describing his method, speaks of applying colour and blurring it with water, without a uniform white background. This makes the figures appear to emerge from the wood. The gradual fading of the paint over time is part of the artist’s concept.
The wooden panels in Sitawka as a silent memorial to everyday life
Arkadiusz Andrejkow launched the ‘Silent Memorial’ project in 2017. The paintings in Sitawka form part of his concept of commemorating ordinary people in places close to their everyday lives. You can explore the gallery whilst taking part in the outdoor game ‘Following the Trail of the Wooden Panels in Sitawka’, launched in 2023. The approximately three-kilometre walk amongst the buildings offers an opportunity to take a closer look at the paintings and realise just how much local history is hidden in the seemingly ordinary photographs from family albums.
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About the artist:
Arkadiusz Andrejkow was born in 1985 in Sanok. He studied art education in his hometown and subsequently at the Faculty of Arts, University of Rzeszów. Old photographs play an important role in his work, serving as a source of inspiration for his paintings and public artworks. Before he began painting on barns, he would transfer family photographs onto canvas. Over time, he became interested in less obvious surfaces, particularly old wood and concrete showing signs of wear and tear. He treats their unevenness and discolouration as part of the image.
source: podlaskie24.pl, andrejkow.pl
photos: Renata Ogonowska
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