Adam MYJAK (b. 1947), Krzysztof Penderecki, 2014

Patinated clay; 88 x 55 x 68 cm;
Signed and dated on back: A. MYJAK / 2014 (engraved).
Adam Myjak was born on January 3, 1947 in Stary Sącz. In 1971, he received a diploma with honors from the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The head motif, which is characteristic of Myjak's work, appeared in his early works. The sculptor transformed this object of creative interest over the years and subjected it to various stylistic treatments. Anna Podsiadły, curator of the exhibition Adam Myjak - Sculpture, wrote about his works as follows: "While the content remains unchanged, the actions within the form change. He moves the features, deforms them, subjects them to an internal whirlpool, blending scars and cracks into the matter of the sculpture. At other times, he works with a polished, rounded, smooth surface. These are forms solidified at the moment of metamorphosis before the
final crystallization."
The artist pays special attention to solidity and color, or, as he puts it, "the skin of the sculpture." At a time when anything can be a material, he, traditionally, uses stone, clay, bronze and wood. The artist has never been interested in politically engaged, instructive, ridiculing or critical art. He drew much of his inspiration from the poetry of Stanislaw Baranczak, Adam Zagajewski or Krzysztof Karasek. He currently serves as a professor and also as rector at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts.