Interview
Aleksander Betko
Aleksander’s work depicts shared humanity in contemporary life. We live in an extremely diverse and integrated world where we have more in common with one another than one may initially think. The people Aleksander depicts boldly make eye contact with the viewer commanding an intimacy that asks us to face one another with empathy rather than fear. They present themselves confidently in all their complexity and vulnerability wanting to be understood, wanting to be heard. The same way you want to be understood and heard. This oculus and intentionality were informed by his early childhood years as an Eastern European immigrant growing up amidst life lived out loud in New York’s storied past of the 80’s. This very colorful tapestry was indelibly burned into his consciousness as his formative years. One thing became very certain to Aleksander and that was that there were endless ways to be whoever you wanted to be. He also became enamored with the tradition of European art and attended the Art Students League. It was a devotion to drawing and representational realism coupled with the sensibilities of modern-day photographers that he employs to create works that are intended to remind us of ourselves and the world we share.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born in Katowice, Poland in 1976. To say that I was born into a tumultuous environment would be an understatement. Poland was in a state of turmoil; its political climate led to a chain of events that brought my family here. We started over. I arrived in New York City, lovely JFK, in the beginning of winter 1980 soon to be 1981. We got a Polish Pope who supported Solidarity and now the world was watching. Ronald Reagan was elected, sworn in, shot soon after and I learned English from Sesame Street. I grew up here. New York City has been my home. I was a wide-eyed foreign child taking in all of the insanity that was New York in the 80’s. Life then was lived out loud and to me it seemed as though everyone mixed. Stockbrokers, Bowery bums, artists, street musicians, up-town socialites, punks and everyone else comprised the very colorful tapestry that would be my formative years. These images were indelibly burned into my consciousness, and I felt these juxtapositions were common.
New York had an edge then. Though it was dangerous, it was wildly creative. It took very little time for me to begin expressing myself. I was the different kid. And no, not necessarily because I was foreign and the one with the weird, stinky lunch. I had an interest in things that other kids didn’t. My mother took notice very quickly (after all, she was in the principal’s office all the time) and made haste to sign me up for art classes at the Art Student’s League of New York. I thrived. I was twelve years old and being taught by professional artists such as Peter Cox and Harvey Dinnerstein. I studied the masters, frequented museums, went to college for this life’s decision. In my mid twenty’s I started exhibiting in New York galleries such as Henoch, Lyons Weir, and Dacia.
What inspires you?
“I am endlessly inspired by just being alive. My life has been a rollercoaster (but I guess that is a hidden qualification for being an artist) and I am amazed I made it through. This oculus has filled me with endless wonder reflecting on what and how things happen. At times I see so much of myself in others through shared experiences. Other times I allow the veneer to crack, and I open a window into my introspective world.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My work depicts shared humanity in contemporary life. We live in an extremely diverse and integrated world where we have more in common with one another than one may initially think. The people I depict are boldly make eye contact with the viewer commanding an intimacy that asks us to face one another with empathy rather than fear. They present themselves confidently in all their complexity and vulnerability wanting to be understood, wanting to be heard. The same way you want to be understood and heard. This oculus and intentionality were informed by my early childhood years as an Eastern European immigrant growing up amidst life lived out loud in New York’s storied past of the 80’s. This very colorful tapestry was indelibly burned into my consciousness as my formative years. One thing became very certain to me and that was that there were endless ways to be whoever you wanted to be. I also became enamored with the tradition of European art and attended the Art Students League. It was a devotion to drawing and representational realism coupled with the sensibilities of modern-day photographers that I employ to create works that are intended to remind us of ourselves and the world we share.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I have studied the masters but recall spending a great deal of time with the French Academics. I was the sensibilities if David and Ingres that my teacher, Harvey Dinnerstein, imparted on me. They were flawless. Harvey stressed that they showed how things were similar rather than different causing the image to pull apart. They truly made a portrait that could only be that specific person. I can always cite the Northern Renaissance with its deep complexities and symbolism as only Van Eyck, and Van Der Weyden could wield. Of course there was the seduction of Caravaggio’s theatricality. What impressed my more about him was his unflinching depictions of the brutality that is life on earth. He seemed to have a proverbial chip on his shoulder and that resonated with me profoundly. I adored the work of Degas from the moment I saw it. He captured life on the hoof and formed the inroads for modern art. You can easily see his influence in photographers that followed.”
“My work depicts shared humanity in contemporary life. We live in an extremely diverse and integrated world where we have more in common with one another than one may initially think.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process is straightforward. Ideas are always swirling around, and it takes a practice of spending time thinking and reflecting. I used to go for log walks. In New York, we all have ‘our’ places. I would personify cityscape and architecture as if it were able to speak, as if this relationship is a private one. Some of these places I would share, more often not. It is where I went to be alone. It is where I went to have an ironic laugh or cry bitter tears. It is where I went to get to know myself once again. And if these monoliths could speak, oh the stories they could tell. I would frame what I saw and with sketches, and photos and start to tell a story I have been trying to tell for some time. I would always meet all kinds of people in my every day and would often to ask them to model for me. I was amazed by how many said yes. Seems as though they also had a story they wanted to have told. I think I take a bit of a cinematic approach to my compositions. I have them framed in my mind as a movie playing. The physical process of painting and drawing is just formalist technique that makes my vision come to fruition.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist is a witness to life, and the work is a result of compassion and devotion. It is our job to be mirrors to life. For instance, firemen run into a building ablaze when every normal human knows to run out. Artists dig into and explain complex emotions that people can’t come to terms with. Through our work, we make it OK.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My recent exhibitions include: Almenara Collection – Still Life Category – November (2023); FiKVA Figurative Kunst Vandaag – Top 100 – May (2025); Fitchburg Art Museum – 89th Annual Regional Exhibition, Peter McCollum Prize – June (2025); Almenara Collection – Figurative Category – September (2025) and Almenara Collection – Portrait Category – September (2025).”
Website: aleksanderbetko.art
Instagram: @aleksanderbetko
