Jarosław Kukowski (born 11 April 1972 in Tczew) is a Polish contemporary painter, juror of international art competitions (including The World’s Greatest Erotic Art of Today).
His works were exhibited, among others Louvre Paris, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Krolikarnia branch of National Museum, Salons Rempex Auction House, the Museum of Galicia, Castle Voergaard, the Art Expo New York and many other galleries and museums in the world.
He is considered one of the most influential contemporary creators of the Surrealist circle.
He has been running his own painting school for 20 years, and his students achieve significant successes on the exhibition market, presenting their works in galleries and museums. Organizer of many group exhibitions and open-air painting events. He was awarded the badge of honor “Merit for Polish Culture”.
Information on his work
In the early period of his work, the atmosphere of his works, considered symbolic, is saturated with drama and sadness. Painful deformed human figures and mythical creatures are shown against a surreal background landscapes. This series of works was defined by the author as non-dreams. In the next period Kukowski definitely brightened his palette. The dominant theme of his paintings became nudes, but even here the mark of disintegration and the passage of time is felt. These works have been painted in the form of frescoes destroyed by time and revealing completely different images under them. In the next phase of the work, Kukowski referred to his first works, but despite his lighter tones his paintings became more and more ironic and provocative.
The artist also cooperates with musicians and avant-garde artists. His works are used for illustrative forms related to contemporary music (he collaborates with the Theater of Creation[5] and the alternative formation of Peter Murphy – Dali’s Car – a record – “InGladAloneness”.[6]
Painting cycles
- Painting series: “Dreams”, “Non-dreams”, “Frescoes”, “Golden Series”, “Arras”, “Human Touch”
Installations
- “Memento” is a combination of sculpture, painting and monumental clocks.[8] The cycle “Memento” is a development of the painter’s series “Frescos” realized by the creator in the 90s. The clocks were displayed in many galleries and museums (among others, Zachęta, and in the Diocesan Museum in Pelplin).
He is also the creator of animations documenting the creative process of his paintings.
Works in public space
- Diocesan Museum in Pelplin (two objects from the “Memento” series)
- Museum of Julian Ochorowicz in Wisła
- Mural at Armii Krajowej Street in Tczew
Painting of Jaroslaw Kukowski – Bartłomiej Garbaczewski
Master’s thesis – Bartłomiej Kordowski
Jaroslaw Kukowski Biography – Maria Dziopak
Jaroslaw Kukowski (Poland) – he was born in 1972. He has been painting since youth. His public debut was in the Gdansk “Stara Laznia” Gallery in 1994. In his early works it is possible to notice the attempt to analyze the world and life against psychological background. The artist’s work is directed towards the in-depth study of human nature. His work is the world of surrealistic creatures, which disturb the spirit of sensitive observer. In his work we can notice the grotesque and mockery of imperfections of life, and sense the signals of danger and threat. His view on life sometimes seems to be very drastic and exaggerated. Death, conflagration, disaster are frequent elements of his artistic reality. The work presented refers to the process of creation but it can be noticed that during the painting process emotions and impressions go beyond the artist’s initial vision and such painting could have a number of titles. Kukowski is a master of drawing, he works in a classical way, he paints by scumble. He does it very skillfully. There are symbolic elements in his work, which can trigger contradictory reactions of the audience.
About Jaroslaw Kukowski- Joanna Kalinowska
[…] A contemporary Polish widely-known painter. Kukowski’s works are described as examples of surrealism or photosurrealism. He uses techniques of drawing and oil painting. His characteristic painting effect is “trompe l’oeil” – an illusion of three-dimensionality experienced by viewers. The artist is famous for his untypical process of documenting his painting activities by recording them in the form of animation.
Kukowski explores moral and social themes relating to death and elapsing time in his works. They are also a detailed study of human nature and their objective is to move the spectator deeply.
Critics divide Jarosław Kukowski’s artistic work into three phases: his early artistic works are marked by elaborate dramatic symbolism. Human figures are subject to deformation, whereas landscapes become surrealistic. It is a series called “non-dreams”. Another series entitled “frescos” is distinguished by a sense of time elapsing and dramatism in the form of frescos under which there are slightly revealed some other pictures. In the most recent paintings described as “undreams” the artist returned to surrealism, irony and provocation.