A native of Szczecin, Poland, 40 year old illustrator Pawel Kuczynski trained in graphics at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland (now, the University of Arts, Poznań.) I recall bumping into his work in communication journals quite some years ago, and it is always rewarding for me to engage with his satirical, and at times caustic takes on contemporary societies and ‘life’, for the lack of a better word. In the finest of editorial illustration traditions, Kuczynski does away with the tyranny of the written word/text, and is able to communicate powerfully through the single image, an image made pregnant with varying instances of irony, wit, and even derision. ‘Auteur-esque’ – with an unflinching eye for a non-cluttered, convincing message making and a fluid, if somewhat, minimal illustration style, Kuczynski’s work is almost always recognizable, not only for what it looks like, but also for what it does to the viewer/audience – for it invites active participation and engagement as opposed to passive, distant contemplation. Take a look.