He graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk in 1995. He deals with graphics, painting, sculpture, and is the author of installations and large-format murals. The artist regularly creates so called “ArtKwadraty” (ArtSquares) – graphic works that are artistic and philosophical commentary on the surrounding reality, published, among others in Lubelski Informator Kulturalny ZOOM cultural magazine and weekly edition of “Rejsy” of “Dziennik Bałtycki” Tri-City magazine. His works have been shown at numerous exhibitions in the country and abroad. He lives and works in Lublin.
“Symbol Obsession”, 2019
photography
Tomasz Bielak deals with painting, graphics, and street art. Distance to the surrounding world, a sense of humour and irony can be spotted in his works. The artist comments on reality with the dose of criticism, tracks absurdities in the social, political and moral sphere and also points to human thoughtlessness, intolerance, and aggression. “Symbol Obsession” is an ironic reference to the history of the image of rainbow Mother of God, which was widely reflected in the media in Poland and abroad. The scandal concerned arrest of the author of a graphic depicting Our Lady of Częstochowa with a child with a halo in rainbow colours. The artist hung copies of her work around church of St. Dominik in Płock. The indignation caused by this happening in right-wing and ultra-Catholic circles caused that the news has appeared in many European and international media that commented on the lack of respect for civil freedom in Poland. The whole thing was actually a political matter. Right-wing politicians in Poland very often use an offence against religious feelings term, wanting to point to the threats posed by the attitude of openness and tolerance for LGBTIA groups. The work shows the absurdity of the situation in which obsessive hypersensitivity regarding religious symbolism can lead to the fact that one can really find presented halos insulting for a holy image.
