LESZEK WYCZOLKOWSKI, "Searching for Balance," Sept 6 to Oct 13, 2007, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton

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"Purpose"

Leszek Wyczolkowski, "Purpose," 2006, aquatint and embossing.

LESZEK WYCZOLKOWSKI, Searching for Balance

SNAP Gallery, Edmonton

Sept 6 to Oct 13, 2007

By Amy Fung

As the first living graphic artist to hold a solo exhibition at the National Museum in Cracow, Poland, Leszek Wyczolkowski continues to be one of Canada’s most esteemed printmakers. Born in Poland and now based in Mississauga, Wyczolkowski’s minimalist works strike a delicate balance filled with harmony between two seemingly opposite folds. Linear planes and lines are imbued with tension and rhythm, and balance remains a key presence. Grounded by solid colour blocks and vital void space, the worlds of intellect and precision versus one of instinct and sensitivity emerge as the works’ entry point. “The etchings are, in essence, about harmonizing opposites” Wyczolkowski says. “The work reflects my interest in searching for geometry in nature and sets these seemingly incompatible opposites in dialogue.”

Completing most of the works during a self-directed residency at The Banff Centre, Wyczolkowski combines his inspiration in nature with his recent interest in Taoism into what Jacek Malec, curator of the SNAP show, describes as “an orchestration of vital forces expressed in specific symbols and announcing a new path in his art.”

Represented by: Bellevue Gallery, Vancouver; Open Studio, Toronto; 1112 Society for Arts, Chicago; Piotr Nowicki Gallery, Warsaw.