Whatshisname

Sebastian grew up in eastern Poland in the 1980s and ‘90s, during a time of political and socio-economic unrest. At the age of seven, he began to create imagery using an ATARI® 130XE™ computer. Because of his dyslexia, visual imagery was his way of understanding the world, with television programmes and films having a huge impact on his creative style. He says: “I would watch TV for hours, absorbing it all. The colours seemed so bright."

After studying IT and computers in Warsaw, he moved to London, where he finished his education at Kingston University and became an assistant for Mat Collishaw, a prominent member of the Young British Artists alongside Damien Hirst. At the same time, 3D-printing technology was becoming more popular and affordable, which gave him the freedom to combine his technical knowledge and artistic 3D experience.

His POPek series of balloon dogs initially began as a parody of the contemporary American artist Jeff Koons. This quickly evolved into different poses, including yoga dogs, along with urinating and defecating dogs. The collection hit the headlines in 2012, when the London Underground failed to see the funny side and banned his art from the Art Below exhibition at their underground stations for being 'offensive'. 

For his Gone series, Sebastian has brought to life a selection of childhood heroes, including Mickey Mouse, Lisa Simpson, Winnie-the-Pooh and Buzz Lightyear. These haunting, shadowed images indicate his interest in “the dark side”, while symbolising a deep-rooted sense of nostalgia. He explains: “It’s showing our childhood heroes reaching out to us with an extended hand and saying, “Hello, I’m still here, do you remember me?”. Or if those are fading memories, they are saying goodbye.”

Both a thought-provoking conversation piece and a symbol of the turbulent lives we live in, his new 'Riot of Liberty' sculpture draws upon the protests that took place across the USA, Hong Kong and Chile between 2019 and 2020. The pose of the Statue of Liberty is deliberately reminiscent of Banksy’s famous ‘Flower Thrower’ artwork (also known as ‘Love in the Air’), which was created in Bethlehem to advocate for peace.

The artist’s work is on permanent display at the Singapore Science Centre, and is shown at art fairs across the globe, from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, New York and London. In 2021, four of his large-scale dogs were on display at Covent Garden in central London, raising £1,160 for the Blue Cross pet charity. The installation has currently taken over the Westgate shopping centre in Oxford, where you can help us to donate £1 by adding a post to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #castle4bluecross. 

Sebastian says: “I would describe my work as innovative, modern Pop Art. My work fits exactly where we are now in this modern Pop Art world."

Shop Whatshisname's latest limited edition prints and sculptures here.