On Friday, November 18, 2022 the Polish Museum of America hosted Opening event for an exhibition titled BETWEEN RELIEF & PAINTING.
Piotr Bąk, a painter from Katowice, Poland touches on a variety of topics in his work and searches for new techniques and tools of artistic expression. Areas of his artistic explorations include sacred, social and cultural themes relating to human existence. One of the areas of his interest - an old Slavic culture and its customs, are reflected in the painting "Kupala Night". “When creating images, I very often use metaphors, but I don't force them on the viewer” says Piotr Bąk about his work. “What I present here may seem abstract, but it is not. For me, it is such a realistic picture of my soul. It is a journey, an attempt to search for one's own identity. These paintings were created over the last years and are synonymous with my fight for the honesty of artistic expression”.
Bąk is constantly looking for tools to express himself in the right way on the topics discussed. The techniques of creating his art are changing, the repertoire of tools expanding. It is not just a palette, brushes and paints. “It started with a pencil, then there were some bookbinding knives, and now there's a chisel and grinders. This allows for faster peeling of these layers of emulsion and paint to reveal the color from underneath” – said the artist about his technique. A wood-like board base gives many possibilities. It can be treated with chisel and a sander.
The works of Piotr Bąk presented in the Museum are large-format. This format is also not without significance for the artist. “I feel great during artistic inquiries and searches, when these large scale works surround me, isolating me from the outside world”.
Piotr Bąk has received numerous awards, diplomas and distinctions for his artistic activity. He is a laureate of the Polish National Heritage scholarship. Twice awarded in the "Work of the Year" competition. He exhibited his works in many cities in Poland. He had 24 individual exhibitions and 100 collective ones. He is the author of many polychrome works. Among others, in the church in Czarny Dunajec, Woszczyce and the town of Kędzierzyn-Koźle.
He teaches drawing and painting at the University of Technology in Katowice. He is also the head of the Visual Arts Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Since 2018, he has the PHD degree.
The PMA exhibit consists of 12 works, including 5 large format compositions. The exhibition is on view until January 12, 2023.
