S(P)OIL

The subtle erosion of emotion

The project is grounded in the idea that contemporary society does not only suffer from visible crises, but also from a more subtle erosion of perception, emotion and direct contact with reality. Hyper-digitalisation has not only changed how we work and communicate, but also how we experience time, the body and the world around us. In this context, DIY culture becomes more than a subcultural reference: it suggests an alternative rhythm of life based on making rather than consuming, repairing rather than replacing, and engaging with reality through effort and attention.

Rooted in the world of agriculture and hand-work

At a time when everyday life is increasingly shaped by abstraction, automation and screen-based experience, Kačmarek’s work redirects attention to materiality, labour, and embodied presence. His paintings, rooted in the world of agriculture and hand-work, do not simply depict rural life as nostalgia: instead, they reveal it as a space where broader social,
ecological and perceptual tensions become visible.

What makes Kačmarek particularly relevant for DDW 2026 is that his work does not offer a simplistic opposition between the digital and the rural. His paintings are themselves shaped by digital aesthetics and gaming culture. Precisely because of this, they reflect the contradictions of the present with unusual clarity: even the most grounded forms of life are already entangled with simulation, acceleration, and systemic transformation.