Between visibility and memory – an exhibition about the act of seeing
At Espace Louis Vuitton Munich, Grey Eyes unfolds as a profound exploration of perception, memory, and the power of images. Polish artist Wilhelm Sasnal invites viewers to rethink seeing itself—fragmented, ambiguous, and deeply personal.
From April 24 to September 12, 2026, Espace Louis Vuitton Munich presents Grey Eyes, a curated selection of works from the Fondation Louis Vuitton Collection alongside pieces from Wilhelm Sasnal’s studio. The exhibition is part of the international Hors-les-murs program, bringing art beyond institutional boundaries to a global audience.
The Poetics of Ambiguity
Since the 1990s, Wilhelm Sasnal has developed a visual language that critically examines the role of images in contemporary life. His practice—spanning painting, drawing, and film—is defined by a precise economy of means that transforms everyday imagery.
Press photos, film stills, and private scenes are not reproduced but reinterpreted through fragmentation, simplification, and reframing. A tension emerges between visibility and concealment, where images appear both present and elusive. Sasnal’s work invites viewers to embrace uncertainty as an essential part of perception.
Formal Freedom as Method
Sasnal’s work is marked by remarkable formal flexibility: smooth surfaces coexist with spontaneous brushwork, while portraits, landscapes, and architectural fragments stand side by side without hierarchy.
This adaptability is not stylistic play but a deliberate method—each subject demands its own painterly language.
Beneath seemingly ordinary scenes lies a quiet unease, revealing historical, political, and emotional depths, particularly linked to 20th-century European history.
Grey Eyes – The Ambivalence of Seeing
Bringing together works from the past two decades, Grey Eyes was personally assembled by Sasnal. The recurring motif of the eye becomes a metaphor for perception in an image-saturated world.
The color grey—neither fully opaque nor transparent—symbolizes ambiguity:
tired eyes, averted gazes, or eyes that are open yet unable to truly see.
At its core, the exhibition asks: What does it mean to see today?
Rather than offering answers, it creates open, unstable spaces of perception, inviting personal interpretation.
About the Artist
Wilhelm Sasnal (born 1972 in Tarnów, Poland) lives and works in Kraków. After studying architecture, he turned to painting and co-founded the Ładnie group, shaping a new generation of artists in post-communist Poland. His work is internationally exhibited and bridges personal narratives with broader socio-political contexts.
