Winiarski also proved that by holding on to his original presumptions, he could generate new, extremely fruitful possibilities: the artist complicated the arrangements of black and white squares by adding a randomly selected colour or a third dimension. Winiarski was interested in spatial forms from the outset – he built three-dimensional objects resembling architectural models of a modern world. A game with optical illusion emerged on flat surfaces, which soon stopped taking just the shapes of a traditional rectangle or square, but also of a rhombus or tall, thin strips. As early as in 1968, the artist started creating programme generating multi-coloured works, relief visual structures, and even kinetic forms. Winiarski's most complete spatial works were the two large-scale realisations erected in 1974 in Gorinchem, Netherlands (Geometria w krajobrazie/Geometry in a Landscape).
In 1970s, the artist initiated his attempts at engaging the audience members in his concept of playing with probability. At the beginning, the role of the spectators was passive, like in the monumental environment realised in Zachęta in 1970, which they could walk around, but had no influence on its form. In 1972, Winiarski presented a project at the Contemporary Gallery in Warsaw, which invited the viewers to a productive participation.
In spring 1972, I managed to transform one of the gallery rooms into a “game parlour” of sorts, which acted as an accompanying event to my exhibition. The visitors joined the prepared game.
Black and white or colour elements appeared on the boards, each time different and resulting from a different course of a game played according to a set of predefined rules imposed by the artist. This originated an entire series of works titled Gry (Games), through which the artist tried to show the viewer that behind each of his paintings there are rules, a programme – and nothing more.
In 1977, Winiarski introduced the notion of time and prepared a representation of his work up until 1980 in 144 drawings, as if he had anticipated that around that time his output would undergo a significant change. Without ceasing to produce works according to his original “dogma,” the artist reached out for new means of expression.
From the first half of 80s on, Winiarski started leaning towards intuition, emotions, and experiences, creating works that were open to associative interpretations. His oeuvre began to include disturbing, dramatic works, such as Czarny kwadrat czyli fruwająca geometria (Black Square or Flying Geometry) from 1984, presented at an exhibition in Zachęta titled Język geometrii (The Language of Geometry). It was an installation comprising seven various angular forms, made out of large cut up squares reassembled in new arrangements. In the same year, the artist formulated a manifesto Geometria w stanie napięcia (Geometry Under Tension), accompanied by an installation with the same title.
In 1987, Winiarski began producing a series of geometrical compositions made out of burning votive candles. These installations were presented repeatedly in Poland and abroad under the common title Geometria czyli szansa medytacji (Geometry or the Chance of Meditation).
Between 1967-77, Winiarski created set designs for such plays as Medea by Euripides, Macbeth and Othello by Shakespeare, Optimistic Tragedy by Vishnevskiy, Full Moon by Shukshin, and Specjalność zakładu (House Speciality) by Maciej Bordowicz.
Selected solo exhibitions:
- 1968 – Contemporary Gallery, Warsaw
- 1972 – Repassage Gallery, Warsaw
- 1976 – Continued, Labirynt Gallery, Lublin
- 1978 – Magazijn Galerie, Groningen
- 1979 – Hoffmann Galerie, Friedberg
- 1980 – Foto-Video, Kraków
- 1984 – Geometria w stanie napięcia (Geometry Under Tension), RR Gallery, Warsaw
- 1991 – Starmach Gallery, Kraków
Selected group exhibitions:
- 1969 – 1st Constructivist Biennial, Nuremberg
- 1969 – São Paulo Art Biennial
- 1971 – São Paulo Art Biennial
- 1971 – 2nd Constructivist Biennial, Nuremberg
- 1974 – Doświadczenia i Poszukiwania (Experiments and Explorations), Łódź Art Museum
- 1977 – Historical Aspects of Constructismus, Düsseldorf
- 1978 – System and Coincidence, Stuttgart
- 1979 – Polish Avant-Garde, Edinburgh, Glasgow
- 1981 – Konstrukcja w procesie (Construction in Progress), Łódź
- 1984 – Język geometrii (The Language of Geometry), National Museum, Warsaw
- 1985 – Konstrukcja w procesie (Construction in Progress), Munich
- 1991 – Doppelte Identität, Landesmuseum, Wiesbaden
- 1992 – Polnische Avantgarde 1930-1990, Berlin
- 1992 – Reduktivismus, Vienna
Author: Ewa Gorządek, Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, March 2006, transl. Ania Micińska, November 2015