Because I’m pretty when I cry

Mixed emotions and conflicting desires—fear entwined with longing, hope laced with despair—serve as a point of departure for Kacper Tomaszewski’s reflection on tears as catalysts of emotional experience. Tears? Fleeting drops of chaos that rise from within us, streaming down the face like a tangible record of feeling. Jack Katz, author of How Emotions Work, points out that crying—though common—is surprisingly underexplored. This gap inspires Tomaszewski, who in his latest works examines how we come to terms with this involuntary act. For him, tears become a key to understanding the internal tensions and emotional contradictions present in everyday life. Drawing from personal experiences of working with grief, and borrowing the exhibition title from a Lana Del Rey song, the artist sees tears as magical streams. Spontaneous and beyond our control, they resemble a primal ritual of nature. Transparent, nearly invisible, yet full of brilliance—especially when juxtaposed with raw steel, a material Tomaszewski incorporates into his newest works: cold, hard, and unyielding. In this contrast, tears take on new meaning. They become symbols of tension and release, of gentleness and strength, fragility and resilience. As Lana sings: Because I’m pretty when I cry. The exhibition features drawings rendered in black, silver, and purple pencil. Purple—a color associated with magic and spirituality—adds another layer to the representation of tears. Meanwhile, pop culture quotes embedded in the works serve as an attempt to process sadness and complex emotions that are an inseparable part of human experience. Alongside the drawings are steel plates engraved with text—acting as mirrors, they reflect not only emotions but also how we express them in public spaces. Tomaszewski raises the question of where privacy ends and the desire to share one’s tears with others begins. One of the works is a sculptural installation composed of heavy, organic forms inspired by stones, interwoven with cold steel. It is a fountain of emotion, echoing the words of Ovid: Hades is full of tears. The exhibition is accompanied by a soundscape composed by Staś Czekalski.