Artistic workshops, exhibitions and shows have become a permanent fixture in the calendar of events dedicated to the Residents and Guests of Olivia Centre. However, the open-air exhibition of sculptures is something new!
From mid-March, Olivia’s patio can be admired fragment of the Warriors collection, by a Gdańsk sculptor, prof. Academy of Fine Arts of Tomasz Sobisz. The artist has many unique works exhibited in various parts of Europe. He is also the author of commemorative statuettes awarded to the winners of the Olivia Prize competition, organized annually at the Olivia Centre.
Six sculptures with the motif of helmets of warriors and modern soldiers adorn the green area on the eastern side of Olivia Garden. The series of sculptures, created over the course of several years, depicts forms from various cultures and historical periods, starting from Hellenistic and Roman times, through the Middle Ages, and ending with the contemporary form of Kevlar. Above the sculptures of the helmets, there is a portrait form, showing a timeless warrior, which can be any of us, although on a different battlefield. The material covering the nose and mouth of the portrait sculpture is a direct reference to the time of the pandemic, when we wore masks for protection.
The moulds were placed in a place open to anyone, at any time. We cordially invite you to familiarize yourself with the collection on the occasion of your visit to the patio, you can not only look at the sculptures, but also touch them. The exhibition will be available until the end of April 2023.
Prof. Academy of Fine Arts dr hab. Tomasz Sobisz, born in 1973 in Lębork. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk in 1998. Habilitated doctor, works at his alma mater at the Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia. Currently, he is the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia. His sculptural output has been honoured with many prestigious awards, including the award of the Minister of Culture and Art, the award of the Mayor of Gdańsk in the field of culture, the award of the Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, and the award at the First Triennial of Pomeranian Art. In 2012 he received the PRO PATRIA Medal, and in 2014 he was awarded the Skra Ormuzdowa and the Medal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland. He has presented his sculptural achievements at many exhibitions, including at the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko (2011) and in Gdańsk at individual exhibitions: MEMORANDUM, STABILE (Gdańsk City Gallery, 2012) and BATTLEFIELD (State Gallery of Art in Sopot, 2015).
