Zbigniew Libera
was born 1959. He is one of the most important Polish contemporary artists and a precursor of critical art, working with installations, objects, photography and film. Works include “Lego. Obóz koncentracyjny” (Lego: Concentration Camp), “Pozytywy” (Positives), “Urządzenia korekcyjne” (Corrective Devices), “Jak tresuje się dziewczynki” (How to Train Little Girls) and “Obrzędy intymne” (Intimate Rites).
Czytaj
An Artist of Many Faces
An Artist of Many Faces
The Life of Nadia Léger
Magazine / culture
Nadia Léger – also known as Wanda Chodasiewicz – is barely remembered today. Yet the painter practised a great many styles, playing a significant role in Polish art history.
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I Was a Little Unruly
I Was a Little Unruly
The Life of Kōji Kamoji
Magazine / culture
Kōji Kamoji was born in Japan, but shortly after graduating from art school he moved to Poland, where he has spent the rest of his life making paintings, drawings and installations.
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Always Against the Grain
Always Against the Grain
The Life of Xawery Dunikowski
Magazine / culture
Xawery Dunikowski was the first in Poland to practise sculpture as an art; in fact, he remains one of Poland’s greatest sculptors.
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A Painter in Turbulent Times
A Painter in Turbulent Times
The Life of Mela Muter
Magazine / culture
The Jewish painter Mela Muter was born to a socialite family in Warsaw and died alone in France. Along the way, she created a remarkable variety of art.
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The People’s Republic of Dwarfs
The People’s Republic of Dwarfs
A Brief History of the Orange Alternative
Magazine / society
The Orange Alternative was one of the most memorable social movements in the dying years of communism. Why? Because it involved painting dwarfs.
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The King of Krakowskie Przedmieście
The King of Krakowskie Przedmieście
The Life of Andrzej Partum
Magazine / culture
Andrzej Partum was an orphan and vagabond, a provocateur of the cultural establishment, and – to some people, at least – mentally ill. But he was above all an artist.
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In Saturn’s Embraces
In Saturn’s Embraces
The Life of Teofil Ociepka
Magazine / culture
Born in Upper Silesia to a family of coal-miners, Teofil Ociepka was one of Poland’s best-known naïve artists. He was particularly fascinated by occultism, too.
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Without End
Reading / feuilleton
Death is, of course, an intangible concept while we are living, yet we seem to distance ourselves from even talking about it.
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Conjunctiva-Teasing Art
Conjunctiva-Teasing Art
The Life of Maria Ewa Łunkiewicz-Rogoyska
Magazine / culture
Maria Ewa Łunkiewicz-Rogoyska (or simply Mewa) was one of Poland’s great post-war avant-garde artists, establishing a tradition of the apartment as artistic space along with Henryk Stażewski.
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Van Gogh from Czortków
Van Gogh from Czortków
The Life of Leopold Lewicki
Magazine / culture
Even though he was deported from France and expelled from the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, Leopold Lewicki’s artistic talent was nonetheless remarkable in all its grotesque glory.
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I Held in My Hand Something Living
I Held in My Hand Something Living
The Life of Maria Papa Rostowska
Magazine / culture
The sculptor Maria Papa Rostkowska led a happy life. Maybe that’s why so few people remember who she was.