Ewa Bloom-Kwiatkowska is a graduate of the State Higher School of Visual Arts in Łódź (currently the Academy of Fine Arts). Her diploma project earned her a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and Art. She also received first prize from the Ministry of Culture and Art for her achievements in theatre scenography.
Bloom-Kwiatkowska's paintings and scenography designs reference the expressive style of the Polish art of the 1980s and 1990s. The artist has presented her works in group and individual exhibitions in Poland, France, the USA, Great Britain, and Germany (including the show 50 Kleider? in Moenchengladbach, featuring works by such artists as Andy Warhol, Denis Oppenheim, Allan Jones, and Italo Scanga).
In 1989, Bloom-Kwiatkowska burnt all of her works (as part of an action accompanied by Sławomir Kosmynka's manifesto When the Chimneys of Religion Burn, When the Crematoria of Art Smoke / Gdy płoną kominy religii, gdy dymią krematoria Sztuki), and abandoned the art scene for several years, devoting herself to costume and scenographic design. She has created scenography for over fifty theatre and television shows.
Between 2005-2013, she created the painting series The Book of Chronicles XX / Księga Kronik XX and Ideas and Masks / Idee i Maski, which focus on genocide and violence and their portrayal in the media.
Bloom-Kwiatkowska also explored the role of film and screen in generating and reproducing forms of communication in her video pieces: Circle: Who Has Imaginary Phobias But Deserves Real Ones Instead? / Krąg czyli kto ma urojone lęki zasługuje na prawdziwe (2009), Colour is Burning / Kolor płonie (2010, when realizing this video, she once again burnt her works), and the multi-channel video installation St. Vito's Dance / Taniec św.Wita (2010-2011).
Since 2009, she has been the head of the Scenography Workshop, as well as Theatre and Film Costume Design Workshop at her alma mater. She also teaches Virtual Scenography at the Łódź Film School's Cinematography Department. In December 2011, she received a PhD from the Painting and Graphics Department of the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź.
Selected exhibitions:
- 2009 – The Book of Chronicles XX / Księga Kronik XX, individual exhibition of paintings and the video piece Circle / Krąg, Manhattan Gallery in Łódź;
- 2010 – The Book of Chronicles XX / Księga Kronik XX, Ideas and Masks / Idee i Maski, individual exhibition of paintings and video works, Wozownia Gallery in Toruń;
- 2010 – Four Seasons – video performance with participating dancers from the Polish Dance Theatre, project realized in public space in Łódź and presented in Łódź, Poznań, and during the international presentations of the Polish Dance Theatre;
- 2010 – Red Wall – painting installation, Spiż Gallery in Gdańsk;
- 2010 – St. Vito's Dance / Taniec św.Wita, street happening and multi-channel video installation realized in the Wolności Square in Łódź during the Four Cultures Festival;
- 2011 – the video piece Colour is Burning / Kolor płonie and video installation St. Vito's Dance / Taniec św. Wita and the Art and Documentation Festival, Łódź, ODA Gallery in Piotrków Trybunalski;
- 2011 – L-UND/LODZ UNDERGROUND – Mandatory Appendix, exhibition presenting works by artists of the Łódź underground scene between 1985 – 1990, Manhattan Gallery in Łódź;
- 2011 – We, the Inheritors / My, Spadkobiercy, group exhibition, Kobro ASP Gallery in Łódź;
- 2011 – Sacred Evil / Święte Zło – solo show of paintings and video works, Blok ASP Gallery in Łódź;
- 2012 – painting installation Jewish Cinema / Kino Żydowskie at the Pinkus Town House, Return to the Avant-garde, group exhibition at the Four Cultures Festival in Łódź;
- 2012 – installation Stender & D.O.M at the group exhibition DOM KOBRO, Kobro ASP Gallery in Łódź;
- 2013 – group exhibition Woman of Marble / Kobieta z Marmuru, Manhattan Gallery in Łódź;
Sources: press materials, artysci-lodzkie.pl, ed. Agata Dudek-Woyke, transl. Ania Micińska, June 2015