ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Mik Godley's exhibition explores Silesian history through digital mediation and painting

exhibition · 2026-04-20

At the Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester, Mik Godley's exhibition titled 'Considering Silesia' presents his most extensive collection, centered on his family's forced relocation from Silesia, a region predominantly in Poland today. This project began around 2003, following his acquisition of a computer, and developed over eighteen years with the aid of digital technology. His initial pieces replicate low-resolution images of Silesian scenery. The 'Der Reise' series (c.2006–09) includes monochromatic paintings that allude to fortifications constructed by forced laborers (1943-1945), resulting in approximately 28,000 deaths. More recent iPad sketches, such as the 'Wałbrzych Mausoleum' series (c.2018–19), illustrate a war memorial by Robert Tischler. The exhibition, which examines themes of displacement and harmful nationalisms, is open until 3 September as part of Remark by ArtReview and BACKLIT.

Key facts

  • Mik Godley's exhibition 'Considering Silesia' is at Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester, until 3 September
  • The exhibition features works made over an eighteen-year period responding to Godley's family's displacement from Silesia
  • Early works from 2003 mimic low-resolution online images of Silesian landscapes using painterly techniques
  • The 'Der Reise' series (c.2006–09) depicts fortifications designed by Albert Speer, built by forced labor between 1943 and 1945
  • iPad sketches in the 'Wałbrzych Mausoleum' series (c.2018–19) combine Google Earth views to resemble Anselm Kiefer and JMW Turner
  • Portraits from 2006 to 2010 are sourced from online dating sites, rendered in oil and watercolor
  • One 'Glacial Landscape' painting is executed as a mural by Peter Barber
  • The exhibition is part of Remark, a platform by ArtReview in collaboration with BACKLIT

Entities

Artists

  • Mik Godley
  • Albert Speer
  • Anselm Kiefer
  • JMW Turner
  • Robert Tischler
  • Peter Barber

Institutions

  • Attenborough Arts Centre
  • ArtReview
  • BACKLIT
  • Remark
  • German War Graves Commission

Locations

  • Leicester
  • United Kingdom
  • Silesia
  • Poland
  • Germany

Sources