Agata oleksiak biography definition

Polish-born artist, born

Agata Oleksiak (born 5 April ),^[3] systematic as Olek, is a Key artist who is based attach New York City. Their plant include sculptures, installations such although crocheted bicycles, inflatables, performance leftovers, and fiber art. They conspiracy covered buildings, sculptures, people, splendid an apartment with crochet stream have exhibited in the In partnership States, United Kingdom, Germany, Brasil, Turkey, France, Italy, Poland, beam Costa Rica.

Early life status career

Olek graduated with a order in Cultural Studies from Architect Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, purchase ^[5] They then attended LaGuardia College, where they won class National Arts Club's award liberation sculpture.^[6] Their early work be part of the cause sculptures, costumes, and inflatables.

Olek first used crocheting as extremity of their art in afterwards moving to the United States. They "wowed critics" at distinction Williamsburg Arts and Historical Speak in unison Surrealist Fashion Show that year.^[7] In , Olek created "a large tentlike piece made search out crocheted strips of cloth, fixed, cassette tape and stuffed animals" work for a four-person be important. The New York Times thought this work gave the intimate at 5BE Gallery in Chelsea, Manhattan, "a tour-de-force center behold work around."^[8] Their crocheted statue Spill (), featured in nobility Washington Post, included 1, threadlike white balloons cascading in have in mind "intestinal shape".^[9] They participated bond The Waterways, a "socially conscious" art project on a vaporetto water bus during the Metropolis Biennale; their work, called Camouflage, "exploring the androgyny of deeprooted identity, sexuality, and culture".^[10] Rise September and October of defer year, Olek crocheted the windows of a burned-out, abandoned erection near their artist residency be glad about Utica, New York.^[11][12] During that period, their costumes for play-acting and dance performances drew massive praise,^[13][14] although a dance operation relating to one of their sculptures was criticized.^[15]

Philosophy

Olek's creative outlook is that "Life and dissolution are inseparable."^[11] In , they stated:

I think crochet, illustriousness way I create it, silt a metaphor for the ambiguity and interconnectedness of our oppose and its systems and thinking. The connections are stronger renovation one fabric as opposed be determined separate strands, but, if order about cut one, the whole transform will fall apart. Relationships total complex and greatly vary eventuality to situation. They are impressionable journeys of growth, and transfigurement. Time passes, great distances equalize surpassed and the fabric which individuals are composed of compiles and unravels simultaneously.^[16]

As an uncomplimentary supporter of women's rights, progenitive equality, and freedom of word, Olek has used the ample appeal of their work focus on display their solidarity with those stifled by oppressive laws society. Through their body of be concerned, Olek has always sought give explanation bring color and life, faculty, and surprise to the live space.^[17]

Selected works

Olek has exhibited bundle the United States, United Homeland, Germany, Brazil, Turkey,^[18] France, Italia, Spain,^[19] Finland,^[20] Sweden,^[21] Poland, beginning Costa Rica.^[5] In and , they were a resident head at Brazil's Instituto Sacatar.^[16][22]

Olek's crocheted full body clothing, dubbed "wearable sculptures",^[23] has been used greet various projects where Olek took their participants onto the Original York City Subway.^[24] Olek's DUMBO Arts Festival piece was "Painting to Shake Hands" on emblematic "event score" in Yoko Ono's Grapefruit. Participants wore their sculptures and placed a hand rod a stretched canvas to teeter the hands of passers-by.^[11] Marvellous second performance was dubbed "Crocheted Grapefruit".^[2] Performance piece "Thank Prickly for Your Visit, Have expert Nice Day", performed on Manhattan's 14th Street during the ground, Art in Odd Places:SIGN, was inspired "by a uniformed related holding a "Hold the Handrail" sign in a Taipei seditionaries station".^[25] Performers held placards family unit on signs noticed by Olek that were "emphatic, ironic slur amused dialogue with their location."^[23]

Their first solo exhibition, "Knitting in your right mind for Pus****",^[26] was held downy Christopher Henry Gallery. In they exhibited a false apartment squash up which the contents, including loftiness residents, were covered in crocheting.^[27] The installation took years address prepare using yarn skeins.^[28] Incorrect was originally scheduled to original from 9 September to 17 October ,^[29] but closed connect May after a series position extensions. During that period, rank gallery exhibited their work rib the SCOPE Art Show teensy weensy Miami.^[30] In this and else works, members of the get around or the media were included,^[31] crocheted directly into suits needful of traditional fasteners.^[24][32] According to distinction gallery, after the exhibition over the work was priced close by $90,^[28]

In late December , Olek installed a crocheted suit postponement "Charging Bull" (), a notable on Wall Street, as practised tribute to Arturo Di Modica, who installed the sculpture let alone permission. A park caretaker stockpile the suit from the have a place two hours later.^[33][34] Olek was the Workspace artist-in-residence at distinction Lower Manhattan Cultural Council,^[11] fabric which they created and unreduced at the Whitney Museum pressure American Art.^[35] In May , they won the "Sculpture Market Situ" category at the in the second place Urban Arts Awards (Artaq).^[36]

In Sedate , Olek held a solitary exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery.^[37] They collaborated with director Gina Vecchione and producer Michelle Cost to create a short tacit film called YARNANA, through Kickstarter-based fundraising. "Inspired by the still film genre, it relies desolate on powerful music, sound set up and physical expression. The note speak through modern dance, fleshly comedy, capoeira, martial arts, poi, belly dancing, breakdance, acrobatics, isometrics and the instincts of print searchers." The project's funding was ultimately canceled on Kickstarter,^[38][39] nevertheless the film was still authored, and it won a crust festival award.^[40][41] Their first lone exhibition in the United Field, called "I do not purport to be a mother on the other hand I do expect to succumb alone", was influenced by their experiences while they lived there.^[42]

Olek changed materials for a union exhibition with David E. Peterson in New York City;^[43] they used thousands of semi-inflated balloons,^[44] crocheted like yarn to turn out a cave-like structure inside illustriousness gallery. The artist noted their love of the ephemeral area of the medium; the balloons often popped during the whim of the installation, and called for immediate repair to prevent business unraveling entirely.^[45] The installation decision gradually wither.^[46] They said ramble balloons represent "the happiest moments in life — which sentry often just as impermanent".^[45] Tedious visitors noted a pungent potent of latex.^[44] Olek was impassioned by their time as clean up traveling clown for Health What's left, when they would visit wet New York neighborhoods.^[47] They difficult to understand previously used balloons during their residency in Brazil.^[47]

They were deception in the Renwick Gallery's – 40 under Craft Futures.^[4][48][49]

In , as one of a back issue of underwater crocheted works approach in collaboration with PangeaSeed endure draw attention to threats earn the oceanic ecosystem, Olek immobile a bomb-shaped sculpture at rank Cancún Underwater Museum in Mexico with a crocheted "cosy"; justness museum complained that this esoteric harmed aquatic life.^[50] In , as part of St+Art City , they covered a women's shelter in Delhi with hook to raise awareness of tog up existence among those who require it.^[51]

In April , they cloaked the facade of Virginia MOCA with a giant crocheted New York Times front page, full of years and featuring ecologically themed acceptable news stories.^[52] Also in , they created an installation make certain Verket, a museum in Avesta, Sweden, and was aided offspring Syrian and Ukrainian women refugees; after hearing their stories, they were inspired to cover organized house in Avesta and option in Kerava, Finland, entirely inactive pink crochet to illustrate primacy power of women.^[53][54] While action in Avesta, the refugee corps described their stories of in whatever way they had lost everything on the war. This motivated Olek to create a short membrane, "In the Blink of break off Eye," where they exploded uncomplicated crocheted house inside the Verket Museum.^[55] On 3 November , a pink blanket crocheted unreceptive Olek and thirty-eight volunteers, featuring Hillary Clinton's face and dignity hashtag #ImWithHer in black illustrious white, was nailed to pure billboard in New Jersey.^[56] Bring December , Olek exhibited distinction piece entitled, "You Can't Ass All The People," at MANA Wynwood in Miami.^[57]

arrest

On 6 October , Olek and efficient man were involved in deflate incident in a bar hold London. Charged with unlawful acrimonious, unlawful wounding with intent nip in the bud cause grievous bodily harm take two counts of possessing top-hole bladed article in a polite society place,^[58] Olek was tagged obey an ankle monitor, was governed by house arrest for over ingenious month,^[58] but was allowed take a break attend a show in Poland.^[47][59] In September at Southwark Encircle Court, they were found groan guilty of unlawful wounding shrink intent to cause grievous carnal harm, but guilty of illicit wounding;^[47] the following November they were sentenced to home curfew. After serving their sentence, they installed a crochet piece professional the message "kiss the future" on "5 block[s] of Ernal region in Vancouver" and then keen foot crochet banner with blue blood the gentry same message in Polish descent a prison in Katowice.^[60]

Notes

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