Łukasz Leja: The act of seeing as an act of love

In every work by Łukasz Leja, painter and architect, the body is not merely a subject: it is a visual grammar, a threshold through which desire becomes thought and thought becomes flesh. His men, naked and unmasked, inhabit a space suspended between order and impulse, where form embraces eroticism and painting becomes the language of bodies, tensions, and affections. There is no modesty, but neither is there any display: only truth.

ŁUKASZ LEJA

I don’t dwell on censorship, but I’m very aware of it. My work is often rejected from exhibitions, replaced with less explicit pieces, reported, or removed online. My accounts have had posts deleted and restrictions imposed.

Speaking of censorship: your work, even without explicit nudity, has been banned from social media. How do you feel about this “imposed invisibility”?
It frustrates me—censorship seems truly anachronistic, often applied by people with too much power and too little perspective. Sometimes it’s just absurd—like being singled out for a bit of pubic hair.

But then I remember that generations before us had to fight just to show their shoulders, ankles, legs, or stomachs. This perspective gives me strength. I hope I have a long life ahead of me, and if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to fully celebrate my work while I’m still here. For now, it’s a struggle, but one I’m honored to be a part of.

Your work has been recognized by institutions like Tom of Finland Foundation. What does it mean for you to be part of that line of radical artists?
It means so much to me. Tom of Finland Foundation has supported my work from the very beginning, from the Emerging Artist Competition to group exhibitions in the US and Europe, to judging, and now the Residency Program.

Their mission goes far beyond preserving Tom’s legacy; they actively mentor, protect, and give space to new Queer voices. That kind of support is rare and profoundly meaningful.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY ALEX VACCANI

Published: 19th July 2025

Categorised in: News