Marcin KOWALIK (b. 1981), Vault, 2009

acrylic, canvas; 90 x 130 cm;
On the back author's description: Marcin Kowalik 2009 / "SKARBIEC" ACRYL.
From 2001 to 2006 he studied at the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow in the studio of Prof. Adam Wsiolkowski. Also under the guidance of this pedagogue in 2009 he earned his doctoral degree. He is currently an assistant in his studio. Kowalik practices painting and works in installation, object and performance. He is active as an organizer, curator and art supervisor. He is among the leaders of the "Rzeczpospolita" poll - "Kompas Młodej Sztuki". He has participated in about 40 exhibitions in Poland and many countries of the world. He had more than 30 solo exhibitions, including: in Hamburg, Leipzig, Du¨sseldorf, Dublin, Knoxville, Brussels, Bern, Warsaw, Zamosc and Cracow (National Museum). Recipient of scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the Mayor of Zamosc, and the Mayor of Krakow. In 2015 he received (together with Adam Wsiolkowski) the ARS QUAERENDI Award of the Malopolska Region. In 2007 he participated in the workshop for curators Crosskick Academie, Berlin organized by AdKV. In 2008 he stayed in Du¨sseldorf on a scholarship at Ateliers HoANherweg 271, and is a recipient of a scholarship from the Grazell Foundation. His works are in the collection of the National Museum in Gdansk, the Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, the Regional Museums in Stalowa Wola and Chelm, the Borowik Collection, the Clifford Chance Collection and numerous private collections at home and abroad. He is the founder of the "Faith in Painting" scholarship aimed at students in the final grades of his native High School of Fine Arts in Zamosc. Creator of the project , "Picture in a Nutshell" - with students and employees of the Swiss bank UBS, conducts art workshops in children's hospitals (St. Ludwig's Hospital in Krakow, WUM Pediatric Hospital).
Recent solo exhibitions: 2017 - IDEA HOMINI, STALOWA Gallery, Warsaw, Poland; 2016 - A Tale of the Working (Wo ) Man, Pieńków Gallery, Knoxville, USA; 2016 - Po drugiej stroni e lustra, Holistic Clinic, Krakow, Poland; 2016 - Zbiegżne, Messier 42, Krakow, Poland; 2015 - Further Perspective, Space Law Congress - Cosmo 2015, Allerhand Institute, Polonia Palace Hotel, Warsaw, Poland; 2015 - River Ride, BWA Rzeszów; 2015 - Aktive Betrachtung, Galerie Nielaba, Bern, Switzerland; 2015 - #GetNoticed, Lasem Group Gallery, Cracow; 2015 - Painting, Showroom Stalowa Art Gallery, Zamosc; 2015 - Binder - superspace of color, Na Lato Gallery, Cracow; 2015 - Painting, exhibition at the gala presentation of awards of Gazzetta Italia monthly, Zamoyski Palace, Warsaw.
"The Krakow artist became known as an artist interested in the thematic layer of paintings manifested in cycles such as: "Travel Space," "Landscape in a Box," "Unknown Kingdom," "Back to Basics," "Mirror Phase" and "Close-up." Kowalik's painting style is characterized by geometric construction, a slightly surreal approach to the subject matter and saturated color. In his work we can find landscape, minimalist forms, as well as architectural references, whose common feature is the background, which is a calming, calming feature of the works. If a human being has already appeared in Kowalik's paintings, he was an element devoid of spirituality, often objectified, without a face or distinctive features. In 2016, Marcin Kowalik took on a new painting challenge. This gave birth to the idea of telling a story about a person, resulting in the painting of dozens of portraits."
(Excerpt from the curatorial text of the solo painting exhibition IDEA HOMINI by Marcin Kowalik at STALOWA Gallery.)