Wojciech Biczysko
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Photo showing Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor
Wojciech Biczysko, sculpture "Charon's boat", carbon steel and stainless steel, 70 x 150 cm
Photo showing Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor
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ID: slow-000034-P/190386

Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor

ID: slow-000034-P/190386

Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor

Between 1977 and 1979 he studied architecture at the Gdansk University of Technology. In 1979 he took up studies at the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts (now the Academy of Fine Arts) in Gdansk. He began studying sculpture in 1979 under Professor Alfred Wisniewski. He defended his diploma in sculpture in 1985 under Professor Edward Sitek. In the first period of his work, he used traditional materials such as clay and wood. In 1986, he received a twelve-month scholarship from the Minister of Culture and Art. He left Poland in 1989 and spent two years in Norway, taking part in group exhibitions organised by galleries there.

Since 1991, the artist has lived in Toronto. In the early 1990s, while gainfully employed in a metalworking factory, he learned about metalworking technology, which turned his interest towards metal sculpture. As part of his job, he designed furniture and made prototypes himself, creating his designs at night in the factory's forge. Biczysko admits that he experienced an enlightenment when he discovered this graceful and demanding material for himself. In 1992, he presented his new works for the first time in Canadian galleries, which allowed him to enter the local art market. The artist set up the Octagon group, and in 1994 he received an 'Exhibition Grant' from the Toronto Arts Council. He began a collaboration with the Scheider and Associated Gallery in Canada.

The artist and his wife, Anna Biczysko, established the organisation Canadian Polish Art Initiatives. In 2006, the first exhibition of the organisation was organised. As part of its activities, more than ten exhibitions have been organised in conjunction with an art fair - The Sunnyside Beach Juried Art Show&Sale.

Wojtek Biczysko entered the new millennium with a shaped style. It is a rather minimalist sculpture, realised almost exclusively in metal. The themes oscillate mainly around the human figure, with animal and tree motifs occasionally appearing. Using the language of sculpture, which is an older form of communication than writing, Biczysko creates concise stories inspired by the mythology of various cultures. Over the next ten years, he produced a series of sculptures developing a new style and seeking new territory for his work. Alongside narrative sculpture came abstract works. If they portray something, they tend to be ideas or phenomena, referring to geometric forms and to the play of light and shadow.

In 2014, the artist participated in the 'Heritage Day' exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum. In 2015, in New York, he participated in ArtHampton, an art fair in collaboration with Studio 21. In 2005, Biczysko's sculpture was awarded second prize at the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition in New York. In 2009, the artist's sculpture Wings of Possibility, purchased by the Canadian Polish Congress, was donated to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper before being placed at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa in 2011.

The artist's works can be found in Toronto's public spaces: the Toronto Hydro head office, Woodland Heights garden, Newport Beach Condominium on Lake Shore Blvd. in Toronto, Roots Canada, Edmonton. The sculpture 'Phoenix', purchased from the artist by the Toronto Film Festival from 1999 to 2003, was an award presented at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. In 2010-2011, the artist received a grant from the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship for the project 'Gryf Wodny' - at the borderline of music, sound, sculpture and theatre, realised in collaboration with musician Olgierd Walicki.

The artist collaborated with Oeno Gallery in Prince Edward County in 2012-2013 and organised an outdoor exhibition. In 2013, in collaboration with Studio 21, he produced the exhibition Short Stories in Steel. In 2016. Biczysko presented the exhibition 'New Works' at Harbour Gallery, Mississauga. In 2017-2018, he had exhibitions at The Oeno Gallery in Prince Edward County. In 2018 and 2019, the artist participated in group exhibitions at McMichael Art Gallery, Kleinbourg/Ontario. In 2020, he was awarded a grant from the Ontario Art Council for an art and education project involving sound in the visual arts. The artist is currently working on the design of a monument dedicated to Polish airmen who fought in the Second World War.

The artist's sculptures can be found in public spaces in Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax and the Tri-Cities, among others. Wojtek Biczysko's sculptures in private collections are in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Monaco, Norway, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Poland.

Selected exhibitions: Roundup, Open Studio Concept, 1991; Canadian Art by Polish Artists, City Hall Toronto, 1992; World Trade Centre, Toronto, 1993; Solo exhibition, Schneider and Ass. Gallery Ltd, Toronto, 1995; Two man exhibition, Gallery 7, Toronto, 1996; Edward Day Gallery, Kingston; Two man exhibition, Gallery 7, Toronto; Solo exhibition, MEG Gallery, Toronto - 1998; Art on the Lake, Summer Festival, Toronto, 2001; Encore - Tapestry of Masters, Niagara on the Lake, 2003; Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition, New York, 2005; Studio 21, Halifax, 2006; Contemporary Polish Art in Private Collections, Gallery 1313, Toronto 2007; New Works, Harbour Gallery, Mississauga; Universal Imagination, Samuel J. Zacks Gallery, Toronto - 2009.

Selected exhibitions with his wife: Canadian Polish Art Initiatives: The Kiwi Sculpture Garden Project, Perth/Ontario, 2008; 2009-2013 - The Sunnyside Beach Juried Art Show, Toronto; Ozzy by Wojtek&Ania Biczysko, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto, 2014; From Here to There, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto, 2014.

Work in catalogue
Wojciech Biczysko, sculpture 'Charon's Boat', carbon steel and stainless steel, 70 x 150 cm. Boats, created on a smaller and larger scale, have become a distinctive figure in Wojtek Biczysko's work. These minimalist sculptures referred to mythological themes, bringing to mind with their slender shape representations of boats on Greek vases. The sculpture 'Charon's Boat' combines the solidity of a boat's hull with the lightness and precision of details such as figures and sails. The artist often presented sculptures - boats on fire - at his vernissages, which created an additional impression of movement and light.

First name:

Wojciech

Last Name:

Biczysko

Date of birth:

1957

Place of birth:

Sopot

Profession:

sculptor

Bibliography:

  • Katarzyna Szrodt, „Polscy artyści plastycy w Kanadzie 1939-1989”, Warszawa 2020
  • J. Kaczmarzyk-Byszewska, „Gościńcami Kanady, na tropach polskiej kultury”, Warszawa 2012, s. 247-248
  • „Polish Contemporary Art in Canadian Collections - Exhibition Canadian Polish Art Initiatives”, katalog wystawy, Toronto 2007, s. 3
  • „The Time Machina, Exhibition Canadian Polish Art Initiatives”, katalog wystawy, Toronto 2007, s. 6-9
  • „Creative Field - Exhibition Canadian Polish Art Initiatives”, katalog wystawy, Toronto 2008, s. 10, 11
  • „Kiwi Sculpture Garden Project 2008”, katalog wystawy Group Exhibition, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto 2008
  • „Universal Imagination”, katalog wystawy, Exhibition Strong College York University, Toronto 2009, s. 29, 30
  • „Sunnyside Beach - Juried Art Show & Sale”, katalog wystawy, Toronto 2009, s. 22
  • „Sunnyside Beach Juried Art Show & Sale”, katalog wystawy, Toronto 2010, s. 25
  • „Sunnyside Beach Juried Art Show”, katalog wystawy, Toronto 2013, s. 22
  • „Art Studio - Polish Canadian Art Exhibit - Four Artists Exhibition”, Mississauga 2016
  • „ARTWALK - Polish Festival”, Toronto 2018

Publication:

30.04.2025

Last updated:

30.04.2025

Author:

Katarzyna Szrodt
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Photo showing Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor Photo showing Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor Gallery of the object +1
Wojciech Biczysko
Photo showing Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor Photo showing Wojciech Biczysko - sculptor Gallery of the object +1
Wojciech Biczysko, sculpture "Charon's boat", carbon steel and stainless steel, 70 x 150 cm

Related projects

1
  • Słownik artystek i artystów polskich w Kanadzie Show