Painter – realist. Born in 1987 in Przemyśl. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, he returned to his hometown – Krzywcza in Podkarpacie, where he resides and works.
Winner of the Grand Prix of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień 2019, an award granted to the most talented artists of the generation. Nominated for the Polityka Passport in the Visual Arts category for 2020. Karol Palczak has painted for as long as he can remember, in elementary school he copied Battle of Grunwald with watercolors, and two years later he started painting using oil paints. The art high school disappointed him precisely because of the lack of oil painting. He switched to a technical secondary school of gastronomy, and then to a technical college, where he regularly dropped out of lessons to paint. He was close to abandoning his artistic dreams, but one of the teachers noticed his talent and helped him change schools for the last time. Palczak transferred to a general secondary school in Dubiecko. He got into the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow on his first attempt, but unfortunately was not accepted because he did not pass his English matriculation exam. He worked for a year and applied to the Academy again, despite several disappointments, he fell in love with this place, because his studies gave him what he valued most – time to paint under the supervision of excellent teachers. In Krakow, however, he never felt at home, he lived in a dormitory, and had no money to rent a studio or for any other city entertainments. In order to support himself financially, he worked physically abroad over the summer holidays. In his third year, he received a social grant that helped him tremendously. In 2015 he defended his diploma in the studio of prof. Janusz Matuszewski, and after graduation he returned to his hometown. Krzywcza on the River San is one of the poorest and most indebted rural communes. In order to do art there, you really have to want it.
It is not difficult to notice Palczak’s fascination with Dutch, Danish and Polish 19th-century painting, but contemporary artists (Serban Savu, Adrian Gheni or Gerhard Richter) are also no strangers to him. Like the masters from previous centuries, Palczak often reaches for planks and sheet metal instead of a canvas. In his small-format paintings he uses texture, light and color. Palczak’s paintings feature original colours that can only be found in the region at the foot of the Bieszczady Mountains. The winter colours are masterfully captured, so are the textures of the snow and ice, there is a lot of fire and heavy smoke. Palczak paints realistically, some of his paintings are deceptively similar to photographs. As he says himself, through art he shows reality and truth, which is why in most of his works you can feel tension and even a degree of anxiety. Polish everyday reality is shown in an emotional way.
Our world is on fire, propaganda, lies and evil surround us, we are constantly confused. We move like blind men in puffs of acrid smoke. I was inspired by the ballad by Jacek Kaczmarski for the series of paintings "Codziennie jeden pożar": "Our great house is on fire, a home for the mentally and nervously ill." Each of those surrounding the fire is kind of mentally ill. I have the impression that this is what Poland looks like today. People are not as happy as they used to be. Something has changed. The atmosphere around them thickens. Young people are full of anger that overwhelms us like smoke. Everything around becomes unclear and blurry. The simplest truth of life cannot be found. It is being replaced by relativism and fake news – he says in an interview with Antoni Adamski.
Selected solo exhibitions:
- 2021 – Tym, co teraz widzę Galeria Bielska BWA, Bielsko-Biała
- 2019 – Codziennie Jeden Pożar Galeria Śladowski, Kraków; Dym, Galeria Promocyjna, Warszawa
- 2017 – Bhagvan Potencja Gallery, Kraków
Selected group exhibitions:
- 2021 – Fotomorgana. Wystawa prac i obiektów sztuki parafotograficznej Miejsce, Państwowa Galeria Sztuki w Sopocie; What I Want – Kolekcja Nocny Art Patrol Miejsce, Muzeum im. Bolesława Biegasa, Warszawa
- 2019 – 44 Biennale Malarstwa Bielska Jesień, BWA Bielsko Biała; Spłonęły ogrody. Teraz pada deszcz Centrum Kultury Zamek, Wrocław; 11. Trienalle małych form malarskich Galeria Sztuki Wozownia, Toruń; Konkurs o Nagrodę Artystyczną im. Mariana Strońskiego BWA Przemyśl
- 2018 – Z kolan. Polska to marzenie Galeria Olimpia, Kraków; Krakowski Salon Sztuki Pałac Akademii Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie; Międzynarodowy konkurs Malarski Fundacji Trzy Mosty Galeria Malarstwa ASP ,Kraków, oraz Galeria przy Kozach,Warszawa; Komunikacja ze wszystkim, co jest Fundacja Stefana Gierowskiego, Warszawa
- 2017 – IV Triennale Malarstwa ANIMALIS 2017 Miejska Galeria Sztuki MM, Chorzów oraz Centrum Kultury Śląskiej, Nakło Śląskie; No Problem Potencja Gallery, Kraków
- 2016 – Konfrontacje Sztuki, Galeria Test, Warszawa
- 2015 – Konkurs o Grand Prix Fundacji im. Franciszki Eibisch, Galeria Sztuki Katarzyny Napiórkowskiej, Warszawa
- 2009 – Sceniczne Debiuty Młodych, Centrum Kulturalne, Przemyśl
Compiled by HSz, July 2021.
