Wladyslaw Kazmierczak
Encyclopedia
Wladyslaw Kazmierczak is a Polish
performance art
ist and curator, born in Psary
, in Greater Poland Voivodeship
. He studied at the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (1971–1976) under Jonasz Stern.
Kazmierczak began creating performance art
actions in 1974 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
. After 1976 he produced site specific performances, and performed in the streets of the city and in public spaces. His first gallery performance was In the run at the "Pryzmat" Gallery in Kraków in 1979.
on December 13, 1981, however, led to state-sanctioned closure of privately run galleries. Kazmierczak's last performance before this date was the piece, If I think about totalitarianism, If I think about Marcel Duchamp. After 1981 he performed from time to time, individually or with the Konger
group, but not in state owned galleries. He performed work in Darmstadt
, Germany and Paris.
In 1991 Kazmierczak became director of the Baltycka Galeria Sztuki Wspolczesnej (Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art) in Słupsk, Poland. Since 1993 he has also been a curator of the oldest performance art event in Poland the International Performance Art Festival "Castle of Imagination" taking place annually in various locations across the country. In 1995 he performed in Tokyo, Nagano, Quebec
, Paris and Pusan in Korea
. He has also performed in performance art festivals in Rome, Glasgow, Belfast, Paris, Dublin, Seoul, Budapest, Berlin, Mexico City, Vilnius, New York City, Tokyo, Pusan, Munchen, Kraków, and Limerick among others.
In 1997 Kazmierczak began performing with Ewa Rybska. The duo Rybska & Kazmierczak have performed over 120 works in 20 different countries. Recent performance pieces include: Pulp Fiction based on Tarantino's film, Ecstasy which was related to techno culture, Modern Talking a piece that analyzed the relation between modernism and postmodernism, and Body & East about the fall of communist ideology.
As curator, Kazmierczak organized an exhibition of the work of controversial Polish artist Dorota Nieznalska
at his Baszta Czarownic (Witches' Tower) gallery in Słupsk in 2003, cancelled under pressure from a local politician. In 2006, after further political criticism from the local League of Polish Families
he relocated to the UK with Ewa Rybska.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ist and curator, born in Psary
Psary
Psary may refer to:*Psary, Góra County in Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Psary, Legnica County in Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Psary, Oława County in Lower Silesian Voivodeship...
, in Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Wielkopolska Voivodeship , or Greater Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998...
. He studied at the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (1971–1976) under Jonasz Stern.
Kazmierczak began creating performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
actions in 1974 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. After 1976 he produced site specific performances, and performed in the streets of the city and in public spaces. His first gallery performance was In the run at the "Pryzmat" Gallery in Kraków in 1979.
The martial law
In the early 1980s Kazmierczak produced a number of political performances in Poland. The imposition of the martial lawMartial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
on December 13, 1981, however, led to state-sanctioned closure of privately run galleries. Kazmierczak's last performance before this date was the piece, If I think about totalitarianism, If I think about Marcel Duchamp. After 1981 he performed from time to time, individually or with the Konger
Konger
Konger is a Polish performance art group from Kraków, Poland, established in 1983 by a group of professional artists in protest against the imposition of Martial law in Poland...
group, but not in state owned galleries. He performed work in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany and Paris.
In 1991 Kazmierczak became director of the Baltycka Galeria Sztuki Wspolczesnej (Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art) in Słupsk, Poland. Since 1993 he has also been a curator of the oldest performance art event in Poland the International Performance Art Festival "Castle of Imagination" taking place annually in various locations across the country. In 1995 he performed in Tokyo, Nagano, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Paris and Pusan in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. He has also performed in performance art festivals in Rome, Glasgow, Belfast, Paris, Dublin, Seoul, Budapest, Berlin, Mexico City, Vilnius, New York City, Tokyo, Pusan, Munchen, Kraków, and Limerick among others.
In 1997 Kazmierczak began performing with Ewa Rybska. The duo Rybska & Kazmierczak have performed over 120 works in 20 different countries. Recent performance pieces include: Pulp Fiction based on Tarantino's film, Ecstasy which was related to techno culture, Modern Talking a piece that analyzed the relation between modernism and postmodernism, and Body & East about the fall of communist ideology.
As curator, Kazmierczak organized an exhibition of the work of controversial Polish artist Dorota Nieznalska
Dorota Nieznalska
Dorota Alicja Nieznalska is a Polish visual artist and sculptor.Nieznalska's controversial installation Pasja , which included the placement of an image of the penis upon a metal Greek cross, resulted in a notable scandal, as the display was condemned as immoral and blasphemous by Polish...
at his Baszta Czarownic (Witches' Tower) gallery in Słupsk in 2003, cancelled under pressure from a local politician. In 2006, after further political criticism from the local League of Polish Families
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
he relocated to the UK with Ewa Rybska.