In the waning days of Soviet dominance, it is widely believed that the Solidarity movement—along with the forces of Thatcherism—played a crucial role in the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. With recent political shifts, many in Poland now question the fate of the Solidarity movement and its legacy. Once again, Poland finds itself at a critical juncture, serving as a geopolitical fulcrum in the face of renewed Eastern European tensions.
The New Wave represents the last look for the fall of the Eastern Bloc. The treatment of paper currency has become more nuanced, with a denser opacity in the paint layers that was not present in the earlier series. Polska Drop and Polska Slip, key works from the initial collection, served as foundational explorations of these themes. In this evolution, the shift away from strictly repurposed currency elements allows for a more fluid and less didactic narrative, broadening the interpretive possibilities of the series. The figurative character is an amalgamation of Lech Wałęsa and historical figures from Polish paper currency of the 1980s.
