Grażyna Smale, "Bath L" / "Kąpiel L", 2011, oil on canvas, 140 x 115 cm, photo by Krzysztof Morcinek
31 young artists compete for the Grand Prix at the "Bielsko Autumn 2011". Their artworks can be seen at the BWA Bieska Gallery in Bielsko-Biala
The jury selected 56 pieces by 31 artists from the 1624 pieces submitted by 387 artists. This radical selection helped create, in our opinion, an interesting exhibition. An important issue of the numerous paintings submitted into the competition is the artists attitudes towards what today might be the practice of painting, and towards their predecessors who have already achieved commercial success, according to Paweł Jarodzki, an artist and curator of BWA Wrocław, he works at the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts, and is the president of the jury at this year's "Bielsko Autumn".
At the post-competition exhibition there were about 16 artists, less than what was planned after the jury's first deliberations.
On the 4th of November,during the opening of the exhibition, the jury announced the winners. The Grand Prix (receiving 20000złoty) funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage was awarded to Jakub Ciężki for his work "Stage I" / "Rusztowanie I". The second prize (receiving 10000złoty) went to Paweł Matyszewski, who presented a set of abstract artworks entitled "Early Spring" / "Przedwiośnie" and "Duritas". And the third prize (receiving 5000złoty) went to Kamila Woźniakowska for her paintings "Revolutionary Catechism" / "Katechizm rewolucjonisty"and "Jenny".
"Bielsko Autumn", organised by Bielska Gallery since 1962, is a competition devoted to modern painting, currently turned into the Painting Biennale. It is open to a variety of artistic attitudes and lesser-known Polish artists. The past winners include, Andrzej Szewczyk, Waldemar Duda, Wojciech Leder, Wilhelm Sasnal, Rafaeł Borcz. Every year, the Gallery has mounted an exhibition following the winning project of the curator's competition. This is why one has a chance to see there the displays by such renown authors as include Dominik Lejman, Paulina Ołowska, Zbigniew Rogalski, Paul Books, Monika Sosnowska, Marcin Maciejowski, Andrzej Cisowski, Laura Pawela, Viola Stake, Jan Koza, Przemyslaw Kwiek.
In contrast to the confrontation where curators compare artists with eachother, the bielsko competition gives a chance for painters to break through into the consciousness of viewers and get noticed. Viewers are given an insight into the most current trends in Polish painting.
You can see a variety of themes at the exhibition - from paintings inspired by landscapes, portraits of people filled with emotions and passions, to pop culture icons. On the canvases you can see the interaction between painting and literature, paintings with the concept of collective identity associated with national membership and the accrued myths around it, as well as themes of ironic games about mass culture. There is also no lack of experimentation, interest in mediums, color and texture, says Grażyna Cybulska, curator of the competition.
This year's jury included: Paweł Jarodzki (artist, curator of BWA Gallery), juror chairman Jolanta Ciesielska (critic and art historian), Jan Gryka(artist, curator of Biała Gallery), Piotr Rypson (art critic and journalist) and Agata Smalcerz (art historian, director of the BWA Bielska Gallery).
Artists included in this year's Painting Biennale "Bielsko Autumn 2011": Rafael Akahira (Praszki, Będków), Tomasz Baran (Kraków), Rafał Borcz (Kraków), Jakub Ciężki (Lublin), Karina Czernek (Bielsko-Biała), Marta Frej (Częstochowa), Jarosław Goś (Puławy), Dora Hara (Warszawa), Ewa Juszkiewicz (Gdańsk), Piotr C. Kowalski i Joanna Janiak (Poznań), Iwa Kruczkowska-Król (Zabrze), Sebastian Krzywak (Poznań), Jakub Kusa (Koniecpol), Maciej Linttner (Bytom), Konrad Maciejewicz (Lubartów), Paweł Matyszewski (Knyszyn), Tadeusz Moskała (Bielsko-Biała), Izabela Ołdak (Węgierska Górka), Jakub Pieleszek (Gdynia), Paulina Poczęta (Chruszczobród), Dominik Podsiadły (Wrocław), Artur Przebindowski (Kraków), Przemysław Przepióra (Zielona Góra), Małgorzata Rozenau (Bielsko-Biała), Jarosław Sankowski (Brzozów), Grażyna Smalej (Kraków), Agnieszka Swoboda (Cieszyn), Piotr Szmitke (Katowice), Teresa Tuła-Pająk (Węgrzyce Wielkie), Kamila Woźniakowska (Montreal, Canada), Bartłomiej Zygmunt-Siegmund (Bielsko-Biała).
Curator: Grażyna Cybulska.
The winners were announced at the opening of the "Bielsko Autumn 2011" exhibition on the 4th of November 2011 at 17:00.
The exhibition runs until the 30th of December 2011.
BWA Bieska Gallery
ul. 3 Maja 11
Bielsko-Biała
www.galeriabielska.pl
Source: Press materials