BALKA MIROSŁAW, Untitled, work from the portfolio A crossroads in A., 2006, ED. 34/80

color lithograph on 250g velin d'Arches paper, 2006, 56 x 76 cm, numbered and signed by the artist, unframed work

color lithograph on 250g paper velin d'Arches, 2006, 56 x 76 cm, numbered and signed by the artist, unframed work. He graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1985. The main element of his early creative explorations were transpositions of the human figure. After 1990, his interests shifted to objects surrounding the human in the shape of simple geometric figures - bed, coffin, urn. He usually uses everyday objects to make his works: terrazzo, soap, ash, felt, old boards, rusty bars. The theme of his works is a sense of unease, alienation, lack of meaning, while his inspiration remains the places where he creates - his family home and studio. Bałka's works are represented in large numbers in the most important collections of contemporary art museums. In Poland, his works can most often be seen at Warsaw's Galeria Foksal. In 1994, the Museum of Art in Lodz opened his works to the Polish public. The artist represented Poland at the most prestigious international shows: Venice Biennale (1990, Aperto; 1993, 37.1 cont. in the Polish Pavilion), Documenta IX in Kassel (1992), XXIV Biennale in Sao Paulo (1998), 1st Liverpool Biennale (1990). Miroslaw Balka is the author of the monument to the victims of the "Estonia" ferry disaster, realized in 1998 in Stockholm.