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Poles apart, yet so close. Artist Jarek Wojcik brings European cityscapes to his adopted city, Melbourne, as Troy Kearns reports. WHEN Jarek Wocjik left
Poland in hismid-20s, he
came to Australia with
little knowledge of the country but
a strong desire to live a long way
from Europe.Ironically, Wojcik now celebrated
as a cultural ambassador for
Poland, is bringing his unique take
on European cityscapes to
Melbourne. From June 29 to July 18 the
Bentleigh East resident will take
his passion for the European
aesthetic to Collingwood at an
exhibition of his works at the
Catherine Asquith Gallery.
Despite leaving Poland 25 years
ago, Wocjik said his home country
stayed with him and much of his
work had a European flavour.
‘‘Contrary to lingering images of
oppression, the Polish history that
resonates with me is more
optimistic and aligned with the
period of enlightenment when I
grew up and then studied art,’’ he
said. ‘‘The Poland I recall is the
society of the 1970s, the bright
lights of change.’’
Wojcik is a classically-trained
mural artistwith a master’s
degree from the University of
Poznan. Soon after arriving in
Melbourne, a graphic design
studio noticed his talent and
offered him an illustration job.
He was also commissioned to
paint murals in restaurants, from
pizzerias in Frankston to Thai
restaurants in Middle Park.
Now he has a resume filled with
highly-successful exhibitions
around Australia and in Poland.
His upcoming exhibition at
Catherine Asquith Gallery is called
"21 songs" and will feature the
omnipresent towering buildings of
Europe and urban development
within Australia.‘‘I love people to relate to and try
to find some answers to their own
stories by reacting to my art,’’ he
said. [Moorabbin Leader, June 16th 2010]
www.catherineasquithgallery.com
Jarek with his works "Drum Space" and "Attraction". Photo Andrew Batsch |
Jarek Wojcik's creative re-imagining of place and experience traverses continents. And yet ironically, this ‘tyranny of distance’ so endemic to Australian-based artists, is the very concept which highlights Wojcik’s raison d’etre: his work is something of ‘a journey of the mind’, memories of a past, articulation of familiar sights, sounds, colours and scents, all redolent of the landscape of his youth.
As Wojcik has stated: “Art is a journey, and for me every work is the beginning of that journey. I’m visiting places which are not necessarily actual locations or even physical sites. They can be places within one’s self. This is a mental landscape, part of my response to what is around me through the study of history. Every object, every destination initiates a process of conversation with reality and produces a fascinating collection of stories, messages and experiences.
mutualart.com
Biography, Exhibitions
The Exhibition will be opened by Gerry Koster, Producer & Presenter of the Jazz Up Late Program, ABC, Oxford St.
Collingwood, Vic.
enquiries@catherineasquithgallery.com
Hours: Tue to Fri 11AM - 6PM
Saturday: 12NOON - 5PM | 
