Dominik Drygas has fond memories of his childhood in Częstochowa, some 200km southwest of Warsaw.
“I grew up in the Catholic capital of Poland. I can remember when I was 5 years old, sitting on the balcony and looking out at the clouds for hours. I imagined they were mountain peaks and how I wanted to be up there. I wanted to be a hero, a knight who would save the princess and defend the kingdom. Maybe that is why I have always stood up for those in need.”
As an only child, Dominik played with his imagination. “I had one box of mixed Lego that I was constantly building various constructions. In the winter, I would pack food and a blanket and go off alone on a sled for expeditions to the nearby fields. And in the summer, I’d build huts from forest branches and sleep in them alone. When I was a little older, I explored all the caves in the Polish mountains and climbed all the peaks.”
Unlike other children at that age, Dominik did not go to kindergarten. While his mother ran her own flower shop, he was taken care of by an elderly Jewish woman who would talk to him about the art and antiques in her apartment. Art and design played a pivotal role in his early years. Together with his mom, they would read newspapers about interior design. His grandfather was a famous jeweller and his grandparents’ house was full of paintings by acclaimed Polish artists.
“I can remember seeing my grandfather’s perfect workshop and his focus and concentration as he set diamonds in gold. Maybe that’s why I was obsessed about keeping my room tidy and often moving the furniture around,” says the 48-year-old.
Dominik felt different from other kids. He describes himself as very emotionally sensitive, creating his own path and rebelling against the norm. “I am an artist first, it’s in my genes. My grandfather drew beautifully, my mother drew beautifully, and she designed interiors and organised the first fashion shows.”
He was drawn to architecture. “I wanted to create and build, whether it was a house made of Lego or arranging a room. It was about putting order to space.”
He adds, “You could say that I studied art from the age of five. My parents were well off and often built new houses which they decorated exquisitely. I consolidated this knowledge by studying architecture in Kraków, Poland’s artistic centre.”
Dominik says he mixes all styles – from acrylic and oil paints to graphics and collage – to create his own style where assemblage is dominant. “What I create is not the result of any planning. I flow in the energy and create, never really sure of what will be the final outcome.”
With his architectural studio in Poland, he developed a strong fan base of the country’s wealthiest people, famous artists and top athletes. “I was very well-known, and sometimes clients waited a year for an available date – even though my rates were two times higher than everyone else.” During that time, every one of his projects was featured in Poland’s most prominent interior design magazines. “What characterised the work was colour, which was ahead of the trend. Also, I had brave solutions and functionality and visual effects, as well as the perfect design of lightning in any interior.”
Dominik moved here about six years ago. “In Poland, I always felt as if I were a foreigner. In Monaco, with the vibrations, energy, light, I immediately felt this was my place on earth, like I was finally home.”
In April, his portrait of Princess Grace was included in an art charity auction by the association Femmes Leaders Mondiales Monaco at the Monaco Yacht Club, with proceeds donated to the Princess Grace Hospital and the Monaco Cardio-Thoracic Centre.
Yet despite being regularly approached by art galleries to exhibit his work, Dominik has shied away from the prospect. Until now. “It was not the time and place. Now I feel ready.” His exhibition ‘Renaissance’ takes place Thursday, July 4 at Marius Monaco in the port.
“It shows the first cycle of my work created over the last six years. It’s a reflection of cutting off Poland mentally and my fight to survive here. It is also a story about love, trust and faith. My next exhibitions will be only about the future and my work will change as I do as a painter and architect.”
Visit “Renaissance” by Dominik Drygas July 4 from 7 to 9 pm at Marius Monaco (ex-Stars’n’Bars), 6 Quai Antoine Ire.
Article first published July 3, 2024.