Tomasz Vetulani

Over zijn solotentoonstelling in Galerie Besselaar (voorjaar 2003)

Zijn onderwerpen zijn krachtig en trefzeker neergezet met hier en daar een ironische ondertoon. Te zien zijn onder andere varianten op Fish George, een met dikke lagen verf geschetste kerk ("My Church - My House"), en siamese tweelinghonden afgebeeld op achtergronden van tekstfragmenten ("Freak dogs"). Ook een groen pistool ("My Green Gun") op schuimrubber en een handgranaat. Alles samen een "Pyramid of Art, Science and Culture". Behalve schilderijen maakt Vetulani ook beelden van allerlei materialen: "De Broeders" - weer een siamese tweeling maar nu in brons, een siliconen beeld van een handtasje, een knuffelbeest van gelijmd bont en andere werken van verschillende materialen.

 

Tomasz Vetulani
geboren in 1965 in Krakow, Polen.
Sinds 1991 woont en werkt hij afwisselend in Nederland en Polen.
Kunstopleiding: Kunstacademie Krakow 1986 -1991, afgestudeerd in de schilderkunst
KASK Gent, beurs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap 1992-93

Solo exposities (selectie)
1994 Moira, Utrecht, Nederland;
1997 HKS, Galleri 1, Bergen, Noorwegen;
2000 Galerie de Verrassing, Utrecht, Galeri Almenningen, Bergen, Noorwegen;
2001 Schipper und Patitz Galerie, Leipzig, Duitsland;
2002 Zomertentoonstelling, Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst, Utrecht, Nederland
2003 Galeria Sztuki Wspolczesnej Opole, Polen;
2003 Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst Galerie, Utrecht, Nederland.

groepsexposities (selectie)
1998 "At the time of Writing", Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle, Warschau, Polen.
2001 "Ligne", hedendaagse tekenkunst, CBK Alphen a/d Rijn.
2002 KunstRAI Amsterdam bij Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst.
2003 KunstRAI Amsterdam bij Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst.
2004 Realisme 04 Amsterdam bij Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst.
2004 ART Twentre 06 Enschede bij Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst.
2005 Realisme 05 Amsterdam bij Besselaar Hedendaagse Kunst.

Zijn werk is, behalve in diverse particuliere collecties, in bezit van onder andere:
ING Bank Nederland,
Rabobank Nederland,
het NIAS, Wassenaar,
Gemeente Bergen (Noorwegen) .

In 2002 was hij genomineerd voor de prestigieuze Gunther Grass Foundation "Daniel Chdowiecki Prijs" voor tekenen en grafiek.

 

From the cataloge of the exposition "At the Time of Writing", (1998) Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle", Warsaw (Poland).

Tomasz Vetulani was born in Kraków where he studied painting at the Fine Art Academy from 1986 to 1991. In 1990 he went to lsrael for two terms to study at the University of Haifa. After his graduation in 1991 he left for Ghent, Belgium on a year's scholarship. For the last three years he has been living and working in Utrecht, Holland. "I like working on sponge because it's a simple, light material and always ready to use. The colour and texture meet my aesthetic requirements and it has a lolof volume and physically, is very present in the space. The ink or paint is immediately absorbed into the foam surface, making any corrections almost impossible. It is a material which lends itself to quick, fast application and is particularly good for spontaneous sketching with paint squeezed directly from the tube. The fact that these works will not last (sponge is not a very durable material) does not deter me; it suits the character of the work very well and to an extent reflects my ideas about art: "I often use old photographs in paintings and collages. During some historical periods photographs have taken on the function of a signature or trademark. Throughout my childhood my 'forefathers and foremothers looked out from a photographic heaven' with a very real and often threatening presence. In fact, often in the works where I incorporate old photographs the works become personal 'maps of conscience'." "The works in this show depict animals. George (the fish) and Zorro (the dog) were real, specific beings. Zorro, an old dog with a difficult character symbolised a settled, mellow heroism. He struck me as a particularly grotesque creature and I have devoted a number of quasi-satirical works to him. With time he has become a kind of personal icon for me. Along with George (my goldfish) and Kon Tarpan -to whom my great uncle devoted his life's work [Tarpan is a breed of Polish horse] -the animals were, at various stages, imaginary friend's and companions or important sources of family pride. Another work is the photographic portrait of an old I Dutch couple fixed to a sponge background in a frame of silicone. For me it is a picture about the irrelevant and restricting sanctification of old places, people and ideas." "Dealing with the past in a light-hearted manner is a necessary way to achieve artistic and personal freedom for me." Tomasz Vetulani interviewed by Dorith Harari.

Tomasz Vetulani interviewed by Dorith Harari. (april 1998).