II PRIZE
Mateusz Serafin - Na przedmieściach stolicy (On the Outskirts of the Capital)
Corrosion on the surface of the legendary FSO Warszawa car arranges itself like an unintentional painting — as if time itself had taken hold of a brush and, patiently, layer by layer, repainted the metal around the model inscription “WARSZAWA,” that is, on the eponymous outskirts. Rust blooms in shades of warm ochre and deep brown, forming organic shapes reminiscent of maps of the capital’s suburbs or parched, cracked earth after a long drought.
The former gloss of the paint gives way to a matte, rough texture that seems to tell a story of rain, winters, and passing years. Every crack and every chip is a trace of transience — a record of the slow struggle between what is created by humans and the relentless force of nature.
Yet within this destruction there is something surprisingly beautiful. Rust does not only destroy — it transforms, granting the object a new identity. The car ceases to be merely a means of transportation and becomes a silent witness to time, its surface turning into a living, raw composition.
