Friday, March 24, 2017
Marcin Bondarowicz – exhibition in the European Cartoon Center Kruishoutem - Belgium from the 28th of January till the 2th of April 2017.
My works reflect the
sensitivity of a child who is first astonished by the world around, then starts
asking many questions, and eventually attempts to answer them through the
creative process. The road to truth is full of dramatic questions: razor sharp
and extremely precise, uncompromising, sometimes also drastic. I take up those
questions with no hesitation; I observe, and consequently I comment on what I
see. I make use of a wide array of symbols and metaphors which are the building
blocks of my surrealistic world – so different, and so close to us at the same
time.
Hard work began with my
incurable passion for painting. I fell in love with painting as a little boy,
and it has led me to the place where I am now. It is only the beginning of the
road for me, and I can see no final point of destination. I am always driven by
the urge to become better and better in what I do.
My works draw on the
traditions of the Polish School of Posters. It was a philosophical, telegraphic
type of poster, economical to the point of becoming abstract, but at the same
time – aiming to exert a wide social impact. Time and the exploration of the
various fields related to painting and graphic design have inspired the idea of
creating functional art representing an individual type of artistic expression.
The first commissions that I received for posters, and my desire to comment on
some key social issues – brought me in contact with the field of illustration,
and later press illustration, which has now very largely dominated my
professional activity. The vast majority of the works presented at this
exhibition have already been published.
Even though my illustrations
have been published both in Poland and abroad, sometimes in magazines
representing radically different political standpoints, what always comes first
for me is “my comment on the matter”, and this is also how I approach my work.
I attach great importance to
the emotions that appear between the author and the audience, at the meeting
point of these two worlds. These emotions frequently provide the incentive for
further explorations. Even though I cannot be present today at the vernissage
of my exhibition, you will be able to feel my presence in my works, with which
I am inextricably linked – I am one with them. I feel very honoured to be able
to present them in Belgium – in a place from which I have received so much
support. It is very important for me that I can thus share with you the world
of my imagination.
Marcin Bondarowicz