The Exploratory Music From Poland project – on tour for the occasion of Poland’s Presidency of the European Union – was also showcased at five concerts around European capital cities, including Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Berlin. While the European roster of artists differed from those being showcased in Tokyo, the project simply seeks to showcase more talent from Poland. Anna Zaradny, Robert Piotrowicz, Marek Chołoniewski, Tomasz Krakowiak and Zenial played at Tokyo’s SuperDeluxe Club.
The concerts were met with great admiration and enjoyment from the audience. Japanese journalists dubbed Marek Chołoniewski and Łukasz Szalankiewicz’s music “nothing one could normally hear in Japan,” highlighting their music’s diversity and high level of sound composition.
Anna Zaradny is a multi-media artist specialising in sound and visuals. She works by improvising acoustic sounds and mixing it together with experimental electronic elements. Zaradny’s works have been featured at festivals and exhibitions all over the world, including at the SiLBERKUPPE gallery in Berlin, Kunst-Werke in Berlin, the What is Music? Festival in Sydney, Australia, the All Ears Festival in Oslo, Norway and at the 2011 Unsound Festival in New York. Zaradny is the co-founder and curator of the Musica Genera Festival in Warsaw.
Robert Piotrowicz describes himself as a sound artist and composer, working in the “contemporary electroacoustic music field”. Piotrowicz mainly uses the modular synth and guitar to create music and, together with Zaradny, is the co-founder of the Musica General label and festival. Piotrowicz has travelled around the world to perform and has, as well, collaborated with Oren Ambarchi, Martin Klapper, Lasse Marhaug, Tony Buck, among others.
Marek Chołoniewski has founded many musical groups and societies including the Muzyka Centrum Art Society, mc2 duo duo, Infinity Quartett and dizzy kinetics, among others. Chołoniewski is renowned for his compositions and works and has been featured around the world. As well, Chołoniewski is the coordinator of many projects, including the Audio Art Festival, Art in Tirol, Silent Films with Music Live, Integra, Chinese Sounds Art in Poland and more. Chołoniewski has received honours from the Polish Composers Union, an Award from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and a grant from the CEC ArtsLink in New York.
Tomasz Krakowiak is a percussionist and sound artist who has collaborated with global greats in the experimental music scene including John Oswald, Kaffe Matthers, Vic Rawlings and more.
Lukasz Szalankiewicz, aka Zenial, is a music and sound designer and member of the Polish Society for Electroacoustic Music. Zenial has performed around the world and been featured in festivals in Austria, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, France, China, Peru, Israel, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Mexico, the US and many more.
The Exploratory Music From Poland project’s Japanese performance took place in the SuperDeluxe Club in Tokyo with tickets costing 1500 yen (pre-sales) and 2000 yen at the door. The Polish artists were accompanied by Ultra Functor and Chihei Hatekayama.
Date: 3rd of November, 18:00 (doors open), 18:30 (start)
Venue: SuperDeluxe, B1F 3.1.25 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Organised by: AudioTong, Adam Mickiewicz Institute
This event has been cofinanced by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.