ROBERT ZIELINSKI


	mirabilia project joyful body project a meeting project the lycra project laburynthos poliptics the wind about me contact

If a given thing does not express spirituality, then what it expresses does not work.

Wang Wei

MIRABILIA PROJECT

back

MIRABILIA

One of the themes that I am most interested in painting, is the portrait and what particularly stirs up my greatest delight is the art of early Renaissance painting. On the one hand it is full of formality and rigidity of postures, on the other, it lacks the tendency to embellish characters. Painters of that time devoted their full attention and care to show the splendor of clothing, without trying to improve the beauty itself, nor conceal its shortcomings. In my series "Mirabilia", I try to remain faithful to those principles. Nudity as such is not its theme, it only serves as tool to unveil the truth about the characters portrayed. None of the photographs is an attempt to interpret any particular painting; it was the very art of painting that served as a mighty source of my inspiration.

In this very project, I paid great attention to the frameworks. The frame is a fence isolating the image from the surrounding context. It limits it, separates it from the rest, focuses the viewer's attention. It also serves the purpose of referring to the art of painting. I want to present my work in this "framed" way, being aware that it is not typical for presenting photography.

Untitled (2011)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2012)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2010)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2012)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2008)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2009)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2012)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2009)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2012)
Framed Digital Print

Untitled (2010)
Framed Digital Print

JOYFUL BODY PROJECT

back

JOYFUL BODY

The "Joyful Body" project is a series of photographs of disabled women. It begun one day when I met a disabled girl, who wanted to pose nude. It really got me interested, though I have to admit, it was interest mixed with apprehension. I asked her why she wanted such photos and she replied: "I am 24 and I have a damn problem with my femininity. I must and I want to face that."

Most of us, upon seeing a disabled person, feel compassion and see their imperfect body as a source of trauma; but close relationships with the disabled taught me a valuable lesson - it does not have to be this way. Body, regardless of its shapes and colours, belongs to me and, as such, can and should be the source of joy. The secret is buried in the soul. I met people who simply feel good in their skins, though others' view of their bodies is tainted with compassion and anxiety. If photography can serve the purpose of therapy and enlightenment, the "Joyful Body" project was exactly that for me.

Untitled Digital Print (2010)

Untitled Digital Print (2009)

Untitled Digital Print (2008)

THE LYCRA PROJECT

back

THE LYCRA PROJECT

At some point in my life, I got utterly interested in the concept of creating something like a living sculpture. To do so, I chose the elastic fabric tightly wrapped around a body, which makes it lose some of its natural shapes and makes it similar to a marble statue. I see this idea as full of inspirational energy and beauty.

Untitled Digital Print (2008)

THE WIND

back

THE WIND

Wind is photogenic. It brings freedom and purification. It enlivens the frame introducing the creative element of coincidence. The first three pictures of this series were taken at the Baltic seaside during stormy weather. It was the wind which took them, I was only holding the camera. Later, I was trying to make some use of the unexpectedness of wind while working in a studio. It often happens in my work that I adopt the power of coincidence and it was like that in this case.

Untitled Digital Print (2006)

Untitled Digital Print (2008)

LABURYNTHOS

back

LABURYNTHOS

A fish is one of the most important and recognisable symbols of Christianity. The concept of labyrinth, having its roots in Greek mythology, has also appeared frequently in Christian symbolism. It was very visible especially during the Middle Ages and can be found in the floors and ornamentation of Gothic cathedrals. In this series, I wanted to juxtapose these two symbols and see what happens when I do so.

In my film, the fish is real. I did not fall prey to the possibility of time manipulation, nor did I use any techniques of computer animation.

contact

back

I am trying to follow my own path, without emulating trends popular in contemporary photography, or, for that matter, art generally. Nor am I interested much in references to social, or political contexts. I feel that any context, also space and time, make art extemporary and as such, it becomes nonexistent in the long term. I also do not care about creating contemporary art - I want to create art which is my own.

Most of my photographs are portraits. Even if they do not show faces, I try for them to say something important about the person depicted. I do not pick models for ready projects, as they are always preceded by long, personal and sincere conversations. It is during them, that the idea and concept are conceived and very intimate issues often come to light for the first time. It is more like a psychotherapy than preparations for photo shoot. The very process of taking photographs is normally much quicker than these conversations. I never get tempted to retake the shoot with a different model - it would be fake and without any sense. When the idea is born, I also try to tell its story in the easiest possible way, reducing all unnecessary additions to minimum. On the other hand, I pay much attention to not showing the world literally. I think that taking photographs of what can be seen with naked eye is boring and, actually, makes no sense at all. What is of vital importance in my work, is the art of composition. I am inspired more by experiences from painting than from photography and my actions are more like composition than framing and cropping. I look for the best pose which will symbolically express what I want to say and, then, work on it long and hard. I repeat the given shot numerous times, until I get the satisfying outcome. Rarely do I take more than a single photograph at a time. I do my best for this single photo to tell the whole story.

CURRENT ACTIVITY:

Exhibition in Galerie Grande-Fontaine 07.06.2013 - 06.07.2013
Sion, Switzerland

Exhibition in MaObject Gallery 01.06.2013 - 27.07.2013
Maia, Portugal

Interview and cover Peripheral ARTeries 04/2013

Exhibition in Pomeranian Dukes' Castle 05.04.2013 - 04.05.2013
Szczecin, Poland

PAST EXHIBITIONS:

4 solo exhibitions
17 group exhibitions
In Poland (10), Czech Republic (2), Switzerland (2), Spain (1) and USA (2)

COMPETITIONS:

November 2011 "Imaginary Landscapes", EPAC
Saxon, Switzerland, II Place

May 2010 International Art Festival Structures of Connections
Krakow, Poland III Place

November 2009 Worldwide Photography Gala Awards
Two Honorable Mentions (fine art)

August 2009 International Photography Awards
Six Honorable Mentions (fine art nude and portrait).

March 2009 29th Annual College Photography Contest Photographer's Forum (finalist)

September 2008 International Photography Awards
Three Honorable Mentions (fine art nude and portrait).

July 2008 28th Annual Spring Photography Contest Photographer's Forum (finalist)

June 2008 Fine Art Nude Photography Center for Fine Art Photography
Fort Collins, CO, USA (juried show)

EDUCATION:

University of Warsaw, Poland (Psychology),
Academy of Fine Arts Cracow, Poland (Painting)

POLIPTICS

back

In photography, especially in the studio, there is a canon of showing the beauty of female body. Models' poses and thorough choice of light, usually underline the perfection of women's figure and sex appeal. I had a strong temptation to cross this barrier and sneer such convention. A woman's body can be fascinating, charming and beautiful, not only in glamourous tempting poses. We had great fun doing this :)

Untitled (2010)
Digital Print

These two series of photographs were created as I was struggling with the subject of composition. In photography, we usually talk about framing but I personally prefer to build the image and its energy drawing from the rules of composition derived directly from the experience of painting. Sometimes it is my intuition which helps, other times these are theories of image perception.

Untitled (2011)
Digital Print

Untitled (2010)
Digital Print

We live in a time of true worship of the body and its perfection. You can even talk about the sort of media pressure in this regard which is strongly felt by women, in particular. Fitness clubs, aerobics, diets, supplements, cosmetics or plastic surgery, a considerable sector of the market takes over our bodies imposing standards to emulate. You have a choice. You can give in, or resist - recognise the fact that your body belongs to you, you have a right to treat it as you want, and to do anything with it, even if no one else sees any beauty, or meaning in such approach.

Untitled (2012)
Digital Print

A photography studio is a bit like a theatre. There is a kind of assumption that nothing happens for real, everything is arranged, posed and artificial. However, unlike the photographs taken in natural surroundings, whatever appears in the image, is not accidental, and therefore gains some symbolic value. I was aware of all of that when I became interested in the game of symbols, light and coincidence which takes place in the studio.

Untitled (2009)
Digital Print

A MEETING PROJECT
with z Oliwia Czarnecka

back

A MEETING PROJECT

"A Meeting Project" is a result of my collaboration with Oliwia Czarnecka who is mainly involved in the furniture and interior design. We both operate in different media, but despite our differences, we both wanted to combine our creative energies. Our project started with the idea of "photographic furniture" whatever that means. This idea was evolving until it reached the point when we gave up any functionality at all and started aiming at building a spatial installation, reflecting the meeting of our different artistic experiences and techniques. This is how we conceived "A Meeting Project" for which we received the third prize at the 3rd International Art Festival The Structures of Connections in Krakow in May 2010.

Instalation, mixed media
Pryzmat Gallery, Kraków 2010