05 Oct TOMASZ KULKA – Pyramid of fools BWA bielsko biała
TOMASZ KULKA
Born in 1979 in Olkusz. A graduate of the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts. Hails from Wolbrom and currently lives and creates in Wrocław.
In his artistic practice, he focuses on all that is superficially repressed, unwanted, terrifying, and fundamentally human. In his recent works, he presents visions of the world of fauna and flora through the lens of the Anthropocene – depicting humanity as a factor leading to its own demise.
Tomasz Kulka’s work is characterized by a vast diversity of expressive means, such as painting, sculpture, street art, video, and ceramics. In all these areas of artistic practice, he is distinguished by a unique approach to his own experiences, transforming stories into universal narratives, and a deliberate operation of the scale of miniatures. The starting point in his activities was the everyday life of his hometown Wolbrom, considered on an ironic, literal, metaphorical, and even mystical level. This depopulating town suspended in time and space, located between Krakow and Katowice, is an undeniable source of inspiration and reflection on the recognition of the relationship between social degradation and urban space degradation. The artist builds a peculiar world where there is no hope, and daily routine kills any sign of rebellion and disagreement with the existing reality full of apathy and depression. In his work, he develops themes of quasi-religion as a response to the vital needs of the art world, which tries so hard to be serious in unserious times.
“The True and Absurd Worlds of Tomasz Kulka. An Exhibition of the Latest Works by the Grand Prix Winner of the Bielska Jesień Painting Biennale 2021. Two years after winning the Grand Prix of the 45th Bielska Jesień Painting Biennale 2021 for his triptych ‘Game Over’, depicting a monumental vision of the end of the Anthropocene, Tomasz Kulka will present his latest paintings, ceramics, objects, and installations at the Bielska BWA Gallery in an exhibition titled ‘The Pyramid of Fools’. The curator of the exhibition is Jacek Sosnowski. Jacek Sosnowski: Tomasz Kulka provides viewers with tools to perceive reality as an illusion under which lies a terrifying truth about how much we want the world to be governed by rules, even if they are merciless to us, and how much they do not exist. Utilizing sophisticated painting and ceramic techniques, Kulka creates a world of religion that, although it never existed and cannot exist, through its visible phenomena operates on the level of a work of art. The worlds he builds in his paintings and installations are as true as they are absurd; he manipulates us, the viewers, towards the conviction that in every smallest element something matters, in circumstances when it is simply wanton play. ‘The Pyramid of Fools’ is built from impressions that create an illusion of truth, yet are like a conceptual construction, the purpose of which is to draw our attention to the power and effectiveness of a work of art. Tomasz Kulka’s work is characterized by a vast diversity of expressive means, such as painting, sculpture, street art, video, and ceramics. In all these areas, he is distinguished by a unique approach to his own experiences, transforming stories into universal narratives, and a deliberate operation of the scale of miniatures. In his artistic practice, he focuses on everything that is superficially repressed, unwanted, terrifying.”
No Comments