JURIsdiction
15 February – 4 March 2004
T. Tatarczyk, T.Ciecierski, K.Piotrowska, G. Sztwiertnia,A. Czajowska-Magdziak, S. Toman
For the past two years, the Regional Museum has been organizing a competition for art school pupils and students, entitled. “Self-portrait” inspired by the works of the great master. The competition is growing in popularity, in which the selection of the jury, in which artists belonging to the group of the most prominent figures in Polish contemporary art have agreed to sit, undoubtedly has its share.
“JURYsdiction” is an exhibition of works by jurors of the Stalowa Wola competition, which is also the first ever presentation of artists in such a composition. And the juxtaposition of such outstanding individuals may be envied by the largest galleries and museums. The exhibition featured the works of six painters.
One of the most appreciated abroad of Polish contemporary artists is Tomasz Ciecierski. His extraordinary sensitivity to color makes him a master of using color to build forms saturated with emotions.
In his abstract landscapes, often created, as it were, from the juxtaposition of many paintings, he is able to juxtapose smoothly applied paint with disturbingly agitated surface textures, without losing the inner harmony of the whole. A palpable excitement that accompanies the creative process emanates from each work.
Krystyna Piotrowska, a painter who divides her time between Poland and Sweden, says of her art, “I choose fragments of reality to create a new reality. I am intrigued by duality, ambiguity, play.
I’m fascinated by the flat surface of a painting, because it is an expression of duality for me. For in one form it is both an object and an idea. It is mystification and reality. It is abstraction and reality…”
A highly talented student of Jerzy Nowosielski, Grzegorz Sztwiertnia, today himself a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, goes far beyond the realm of painting with his work. Stubbornly striving to learn the truth about the human interior, demonstrating seemingly naturalistic visions from the world of medicine, he moves into areas on the borderline of psychotronics, religion and magic. He uses a variety of means with great freedom, breaking all conventions. Acting as a guide through the meanders of his art, he forces the viewer to activate his intellect and use his imagination in wandering through the world of literalism. His creative endeavors are meant to lead to therapeutic effects in the mental sphere of the viewer.
Tomasz Tatarczyk, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (graduating under Jan Tarasin), has presented his works at a huge number of exhibitions in Poland, many European countries and the United States.
He is inspired by nature and his immediate surroundings, the realism of which he depicts symbolically giving them a deeper meaning. The author limits the means of artistic expression he uses, moving with great precision within a limited color scale, mainly black, white and gray.
On the canvases one can see a considerable variety of texture; from smooth to highly plasticized surfaces. One of the painter’s favorite recent subjects is the intriguing black dog.
A nice local touch will be the presentation of paintings by Alicja Czajkowska-Magdziak and Slawomir Toman. Alicja Czajkowska-Magdziak, recently awarded (once again) in the “Comparisons” organized annually by Sandomierz’s BWA, has recently become associated with the Tło gallery she runs – an unconventional place for the promotion of art, which has gained popularity and prestige in the community very quickly.
Slawomir Toman, who is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow and the Ecole de Beaux-Arts in Rennes, and is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Art at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, is unquestionably a “Stalowa Wola contribution” to the pantheon of Polish contemporary Art, the one with a capital “S”. Two years ago, he was among the nominees for the “Polityka Passport” for the first time.
The exhibition “JURYsdiction” was an excellent opportunity for viewers to get acquainted with the latest contemporary trends in art. At the same time, it provided a unique opportunity to observe the ways of artistic perception of the world of such uncommon creative personalities.
