The comparativist

Krzysztof Sikorski's «Breath of life» has won the popular vote of Sefton Open 2026. This artwork is part of a triptych, entitled «The words we speak» comprised of the aforementioned winner, «Balance of forces» and «The voice of chaos». This is the first time, as far as I can remember, that the Open has been won by a piece that's part of a triptych.   It surely speaks well of society as a whole that the positive end of this balanced creation myth received the most votes; while only it is the winner, the work truly benefits from being appreciated as part of its whole, and so we shall consider it– even though this bends the rules of comparativim. After all, if anything, size does matter, and in its complete glory this piece really does call out to the viewer, as it dominates the room wherein it sits. Equally fierce, two similar-looking feminine forces spit out vines: green on the light-blue, watery, creation-themed side of the triptych, but burnt on the fire-y destructive-...