CIVILISATION. Sculpture by Michal Batkiewicz

The exhibition showcases part of the incredibly rich sculptural work of Michał Batkiewicz. It will feature both sophisticated bas-reliefs and whimsical, somewhat ironic, and surreal forms that combine bronze, aluminum, and stone. Complementing these will be extraordinary ephemeral yet powerful angel sculptures that will be displayed in the museum courtyard.

The museum halls will be filled with figurative sculptures that often reference the animal world. The earthly sphere of human-animal interaction, close to nature, will be symbolically presented. The imaginative and joyful sculptures express a personal philosophy regarding the nature of animals, while realistic representations blend with fairy-tale imagery. At first glance, these may seem like strange creatures, but they emanate warmth and tranquility. In many of his works, the artist illustrates the world through the eyes of a child, who continues to marvel at its wonders. The fairy-tale depictions, often paradoxical, unleash the imagination, transcending all limitations. Viewers not only journey into a world of fantasy but also into an ideal childhood world. Beneath the guise of innocent, imaginative representations, the artist conveys his reflections on life. He aims to remind us of small joys, childhood trust, and living in harmony with nature.

Prof. Czesław Dźwigaj defines the artist’s work in the catalog: “Over the years, he has developed his own style and repertoire of forms, based on a solid sculptural craft, reaching back to the most outstanding visionaries and masters of strange imagination. In his sculptures, one can sense echoes of a medieval heritage, divided into a heavenly realm and a repertoire of sculptural compositions purely belonging to the earth we tread upon. (…) The permeability of the real world, the animal kingdom, with the imagination of dreamy reveries, the imagination of childhood, combined with anatomical precision, meticulously blended with an extraordinary almost hyper-realistic form of objects, creates a specific garden of grotesquely funny sculptures, forming an original bestiary with an individual language of sculptural expression. These are extraordinary sculptures that depict the animal world.”

Michał Batkiewicz was born in 1957 in Nowy Targ. He graduated from the Antoni Kenar School of Fine Arts in Zakopane and then studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, receiving his diploma in the studio of Prof. Marian Konieczny.

The artist creates monuments, park spatial compositions, and sacred sculptures. A significant portion of his work focuses on intimate sculptures characterized by surrealistic imagery or compositions bordering on abstraction. He works with stone, bronze, aluminum, and glass, often combining materials to give his sculptures a unique charm.

Among his monumental realizations, it is worth mentioning the replica (at a scale of 1:3) of the polychromed and gilded wooden altar by Veit Stoss from St. Mary’s Church in Kraków for St. John Kanty Church in Chicago, USA. He designed and completed a wooden church with furnishings in Lawton, USA, as well as numerous outdoor sculptures and monuments in Hamburg, Germany, Argentina, the USA, Italy, Slovakia, and several cities in Poland. He is also the author of many commemorative plaques, occasional statuettes, and medals. His works have been presented at numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Poland and abroad. In 2003, he received a gold medal for merit awarded by the Primate of Poland, Józef Glemp.

The official opening of the exhibition will take place on August 24 at 6 PM. The vernissage will be enhanced by a recital “Waltz of the Heart” performed by Roksana Lewak (vocals) and Konrad Mastyło (piano).

Additional information: Anna Szlązak, 15/844 85 56 ext. 15