Tomek Bielak
1967 born in Lublin, Poland
Lives and works in Lublin
Tomek Bielak graduated in 1994 from the Academy of Fine Arts, Painting and Graphics Design Department in Gdansk. He realizes installations, graphics, large format murals, sculpture and painting. Since his graduation Tomek is closely collaborating with the artist Robert Knuth, engaged in activities of the Delicatessen Avantgarde Gallery (several exhibitions, as “Against the Violence”, “Midnight Shakespeare”, “Heretics of Gdansk” or group exhibition in Kunst Raum in Dusseldorf. Currently a member of SAM, an informal, three men group, which is operating since 2001 in fields of social criticism carrying artistic actions, both in the urban space and galleries.
Rejecting a purely aesthetic nature of art in itself, for Tomek the message is the point – “If you have nothing to reclaim, be quiet”. The artistic workshop is just a tool to convey an individual language – perhaps even more sophisticated one at any level. Commitment to cultural and social life is just a logical part in the unity of creation.
Tomek Bielak cooperates with the magazine Dziennik Bałtycki in Gdansk presenting socio-artistic comments, printed as well in the Lublin Cultural Guidebook ZOOM.
Selected exhibitions:
1995/97 July / August – two walls (murals) as part of the initial activities for Mural Festival in Gdansk, Poland
2001 Baltic Gallery in Slupsk (SAM), Poland
2002 THE BLOCK – painting action in Gdansk skyscraper (SAM)
2004 International Festival of Mural Art “Kliniczna” in Gdansk
2004 Laboratory Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Ujazdów Castle – triptych “Art Training” (SAM)
2004 Performance “Garage”, Gdansk, Poland
2005 “Lost in action”, Centre of Contemporary Art in Gdansk (SAM)
2005 Performance„ Survival Art”, Rantasalmi, Finland (2/3 of SAM)
2006 Painting and music, “Voters and Followers”, SAM Group, in InnerSpaces Gallery, Poznan
2008 One-day informal performance on road junction “Kliniczna” in Gdansk – mural “The Ceremonial Opening of a New War”
2008 Exhibition “Alternative Collection” in the White Gallery in Lublin, Poland
2009 Project “Art in public space”, The White Gallery, Lublin
2010 Exhibition “NO BUDGET SHOW 2” with artist Robert Kusmirowski, studio Towot Squat, Lublin
2010 Gdansk Zaspa, International Festival of Monumental Art – mural “No idols”
2010 Polish-Ukrainian Week of Contemporary Art in Lviv, stencil-action at Marmalade Factory
2010 2/3 of SAM – painting action at the Gdansk Shipyard under the direction of Robert Wilson, during the concert organized on the 30th anniversary of “Solidarity”
2010 single work: “I don’t believe in pills” for the Art Yard of White Gallery
2010 Exhibition “Photo-copy-painting” at the BWA Galeria Sanocka, Poland
2011 White above White, Bielsko Biała Gallery
2011 “Eastern Wall” mural by Association of Artists of the Middle
2011 Frankenstein, individual exhibition, BWA in Sanok, Poland
2012 “Subimago” White Gallery Lublin
2012 “Ars Loci – the current image”, Workshop Culture in Lublin, Poland
2012 MY SE exhibition, Cracow Open Studio, Poland
2013 “THE COOL LOOK”, Salon Academy in Warsaw
2013 “4×4” series, Labyrinth Gallery, in cooperation with artists Peter Korol, Tomasz Ciecierski and Pawel Susid
2014 second edition of “THE COOL LOOK”, entitled “COMPLEXES AND FRUSTRATION”, Labyrinth Gallery in Lublin
2012/2013/2014 Project of Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, The Prof. Zbigniew Hołda Association and Lublin Theatre Confrontations: design of statues awarding persons in the struggle for human rights / realized with participation of prisoners from Opole Lubelskie Prison.
2017 “Something” Galerie Sandhofer, Salzburg, Austria