AGATA SIWEK
Agata Siwek (Pionki, Poland, 1972) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Glasgow School of Art and Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam.
Sinds 1997 she has been moving between Poland and the Netherlands. These frequent changes of residence, from a small town to the big city, from Eastern to Western Europe, from the industrialized countryside to the unleashed mountains and last but not least from Brabant to Limburg, have contributed to Agata looking at the world from several perspectives at the same time. Siwek is a versatile artist, interested in almost everything and involved in social and political issues that affect her life. A view from her window or the death of her horse can just as well be a subject for her artwork as a failed charity action or Dutch nature protection policy. Agata tries to understand the world she lives in and uses her art to share her ambiguous finding. She approaches the issues which catch her attention in a humorous and ironic way, drawing on her own experience and intuition and using techniques which fit the needs. Her provocative and diverse artworks have one message: nothing is what it seems. With her sharp eye and strong social commitment, she tries to add something relevant and inspiring to the environment she lives in and to start a public discussion.
Discipline
painting, drawing, textiles,
ceramics, installations,
books, small architectural
works ...
Agata´s oeuvre consists of very different objects, ranging from paintings, drawings, textiles and ceramics to installations, books, small architectural works and souvenirs. In a critical, humorous and ironic way, she addresses various topics in this.
Through her work, Agata undermines existing situations and ‘immining of doing’ by seemingly imitating them. Seemingly, because sophisticated anomalies make a world of difference and give to think. By compromising well-known marketing and sales strategies, she tries to open our eyes to the influence of media, commerce and industry on public opinion.
Project during the Borderland Residency
Year of participation
2024
Agata Siwek will create a number of workshops within the education and participation department of the museum, will appear in an upcoming exhibition with pieces from the collection of museum van Bommel van Dam and will take an autonomous place as an artist-in-residence.