Dream doggy, dream... exhibition at the El Gallery, 2025
curated by Maciej Bychowski
picture by Bartek Zalewski
The exhibition Dream doggy, dream... by Kacper Tomaszewski at Galeria EL is a profound reflection on grief following the loss of a beloved dog. Through sculptures, installations, and interactive paintings, the artist invites the viewer into a space where mourning and memory become tools for processing the emotions associated with loss. Tomaszewski’s works explore what remains after an animal passes away and how these memories shape our daily lives. The exhibition not only touches on personal experiences of grief but also becomes part of a broader dialogue about our bond with non-human beings.
Tomaszewski draws inspiration from the poem The Rainbow Bridge by Edna Clyne-Rekhy, which speaks of a mythical bridge connecting two worlds—the realm of the living and that of deceased animals. The poem expresses the hope that, after death, pets await their caregivers at the Rainbow Bridge, ready to reunite with them when the time comes. This metaphor, offering comfort to many who grieve, inspires Tomaszewski to create a space where death does not sever bonds but transforms them. His works invite the viewer to experience the mourning process in a way that intertwines the pain of loss with the hope of continued presence.
The theme of mourning animals has deep historical roots. In ancient cultures, animals played a vital role in social and religious life, and their passing was met with great reverence. Epitaphs dedicated to deceased pets expressed not only sorrow but also respect and love. Tomaszewski engages in dialogue with these traditions, approaching animal grief from a posthumanist perspective—treating it as equally significant as mourning humans and reinterpreting it in the context of contemporary experience.
The cloister of Galeria EL’s deconsecrated church plays a crucial role in Tomaszewski’s work. This space—situated between the sacred and the profane, transitional and open—perfectly reflects the nature of grief, which is both a deeply personal, intimate experience and part of a broader social ritual. The cloister immerses the viewer in a contemplative space where life and death are intertwined, with loss extending beyond physical absence into memory. Tomaszewski’s works, placed within this setting, create a bridge between past and present, life and death, reviving the memory of his departed dog through symbolic images, sounds, and material forms.
Contemporary pet cemeteries, filled with monuments, epitaphs, and symbolic gestures, have become spaces where people can bid farewell to their animals with dignity. In these places—just as in Tomaszewski’s works—grief takes on both emotional and aesthetic dimensions. Art historian Maria Poprzęcka, in her essay Sleep, Little Dog, Sleep, notes that in these cemeteries, among miniature tombstones, plastic flowers, and rainbow-colored wind spinners, “the foundations of anthropocentrism are subtly yet convincingly challenged.” Tomaszewski’s works evoke these spaces, where monuments to animals become sites of remembrance, and grief transforms into an active process of loss. Through his installations, the artist enters the realm of commemoration, inviting the viewer to a shared experience of mourning, where art becomes a medium connecting the worlds of the living and the dead.
Dream doggy, dream... is an exhibition that invites reflection on what remains after the passing of a dog who was a close companion for years. By incorporating the themes of contemporary pet cemeteries, the Rainbow Bridge, and the cloister of Galeria EL, Tomaszewski creates a space where mourning a beloved pet becomes part of a spiritual journey—blending memory, love, and loss into one continuous experience.
Text by Maciej Bychowski.
The first edition of Dream doggy, dream... by Kacper Tomaszewski took place at Galeria Promocyjna (June 4–June 22, 2024), curated by Aleksandra Liput.
Matronage: Institute of the Good Death.