warszawa

»Review«

“Warszawa”—the Polish name for Warsaw, which according to a popular legend derives from a combination of the names of the fisherman “Wars” and the mermaid “Sawa”—is an attempt to translate David Bowie’s 1977 song of the same name into a painting in which color, rather than objects, dominates. Written by David Bowie together with Brian Eno, the song has no real lyrics; its vocal lines consist of combinations of letters intended to evoke a mood but carrying no actual meaning. The intent was to create a mournful, wordless chant expressing grief, endurance, and the spirit of a city that has suffered profoundly but never perished.