“Sculpture Laboratory”
at Centrum Praskie Koneser
Warsaw / Poland
Covering 1500 sqm and including
40 of the most accomplished Polish sculptors expo in Warsaw >>
I've been honoured to take part in the most important sculpture exhibition in Poland, "Laboratorium Rzeźby" // "Sculpture Laboratory" held in Centrum Praskie "Koneser" in Warsaw. The event covered 1500sqm and it included 40 of the most accomplished Polish sculptors. Below, I will try to show what was the process of creating the two sculptures I exhibited at this event.
It all starts much earlier than you probably think, as I'm constantly looking for inspiration. I get influenced by the cities I live in, the internet, books, movies; literally anything that connects with my aesthetics. After that I pop those ideas into the virtual world, where I stretch, cut and merge initial ideas to get something special and unique.
Next step is the construction. Normally it takes me around one to two weeks to build a new piece. It all depends on the complexity of the shape. Sometimes there are also elements within the shape which require special construction inside the structure, which of course adds more time and work. I also use help from professional woodworkers if needed.
Don't be fooled: the creation of the shape is not the final step. The last and perhaps the most important is painting which is a very complex task. It involves plenty of work as the sculptures need to be painted several times top to bottom to achieve perfection. On top of that, the sculptures need to be covered with a layer of varnish to protect them from any type of dirt or dust for years to come. I do that in a professional painting chamber with regulated temperature and air flow. This allows me to finish my work with absolute perfection.
The whole process is hugely time-consuming, as after every layer I have to wait until the next day to be able to add another coating. Now if you imagine painting every flat surface of those shapes around 5-10 times, you’ll realize how labour-intensive this process is. It usually takes around three to seven days to get the desired result starting from the base layer, through the actual colour, to crowning it with protective varnish finishing.
Below a little photoshoot from work in progress inside the painting chamber. As you can see there are many surfaces inside the shape. Now if you imagine painting every flat surface of those shapes around 5-10 times you’ll realise how labour-intensive this process is.
After the objects are finished, it's time to do a photoshoot to document the final outcome, create tailored wooden boxes, wrap the sculptures, secure them inside the boxes and finally ship them to their final destinations.
There is no better feeling in the world than to see the sculptures safe and secure, standing already inside the gallery. Mission accomplished! The very final task is to agree with the gallery on the final set up of the pieces and voilà! They are ready to be presented to the audience. This exhibition was the largest independent review of contemporary sculpture in Poland, attracting thousands of visitors from the capital and the rest of the country.
