Crawl in Black

In his works, Wilhelm Sasnal often processes motifs that occur in the media, relating to daily life, to social, political and ethical issues, to such contemporary problems as racism, antisemitism, economic exclusion and inequality. “Crawl in Black” touches upon a problem that is important and difficult for Western civilization – related to supporting and accepting migrants from the war-stricken Middle East by European countries.

“Crawl in Black” shows the arm of a swimming man in a dramatic foreshortening, in Sasnal-specific simple, contrasting colours. The painting was created in 2015, after the artist spent some time on the Greek Island of Leros in the Aegean Sea, which is the destination of refugees coming from Turkey. They reach Greek islands in primitive boats, often having had to swim through some part of the distance.
We look at the swimmer’s arm, whose shape is brought out with intensely black flat spots of paint, as if against the light. The rest of his body is out of the painting, leaving his identity unknown. On the one hand, it is the hand of a contemporary Icarus, who wants to realise his dream of a better life, on the other hand – he may be a desperate man, having nothing to lose and acting on the border of common sense.