We cordially invite you to the lobby of Olivia Star for the second edition of the Olivia Art project. This time we present 12 works by Agnieszka Ledóchowska and Anna Gross. “12 images. Gross/ Ledóchowska/ part 5”

Agnieszka Ledóchowska

A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, a diploma in Painting in the studio of prof. H. Lasecki. Winner of many competitions. She gained her experience during a scholarship in New York and taking part in the XXII International Biennial of Graphics and Drawing in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China) or exhibitions in Poland and abroad m.in. “Some Like it Hot” in London. In 2017, she won a scholarship from the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship for the Impossible Objects painting project. Since February 2017, he has been a teacher of drawing and painting at the Gdańsk School of Art.

Awards and distinctions:

• 2002 – Hestia Artistic Journey Award, one-month scholarship in New York
• 2007 – Honorable mention in the Cyberfoto competition for the works “Destruction”, “Hedonism II”, “Arrogance”, “Native”

Exhibitions and competitions:

• September 2002 – “Some Like it Hot” – group exhibition at the Old French Chocolade Factory, London
• 2003 – Group exhibition of paintings, graphics and sculptures “Gdynia Artistic Review”, Gallery 78 (Gdynia)
• November 2005 – Exhibition as part of the 60th anniversary of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, exhibition hall of the Museum of the City of Gdynia in the “Gemini” Centre (Gdynia)
• 2006 – Participation in the XXII International Biennial of Graphics and Drawings in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China)
• 2006 – International Print Triennial, Cracow
• 2007 – “AFRICAN SOUND AND VISUAL PROJECT”, Ucho Club, Gdynia
  A concert of music inspired by the works of Agnieszka Ledóchowska, which were created in cooperation with Kate Chmela-Jones, a Pole permanently living in South Africa, a lecturer at the Faculty of Graphics and Visual Arts at the Vaal University of Technology.
• 2009 – International Group Exhibition “Rosetta Stone”, Jena, Germany
• 2011 – “Port Construction” with Rafał Chomik, “Riwiera” Navy Club (Gdynia)
• 2016 – Group Exhibition in the Artistic Space of Independent Artists WL-4 (Gdańsk)
• 2017 “Impossible objects” individual exhibition in the WL4 art space – Organized with the help of the Scholarship of the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship

About his paintings:

“The search for beauty in the forms and shapes that landscapes take on a daily basis has always been a big challenge for me. For as long as I can remember, Turner’s paintings have inspired my admiration, while at the same time being an incredible enigma. Until recently, completely abstract painting was my daily bread, and the longing to capture the beauty of the horizon and the views that surround me every day was pushed deep into my subconscious. The series of paintings created in 2007 and 2008 broke this barrier of fear and uncertainty related to the challenge of landscape. These paintings have a deep, even symbolic meaning for me, just as their own symbolism is complex. Colors are a kind of code: BLACKNESS is death, stagnation, the underworld of our desires and actions; RED – life, longing and fulfilment; BIEL – peace, fullness, understanding, earthliness; BRONZE – sound and movement, the basis for our actions, spirituality. There are also the subject of constructions with metal silhouettes of cranes, the beauty of which never ceases to amaze me, oil rigs that I dream of, admiring their grace and strength, as well as colossal ships gracefully cutting through the waters of the seas and oceans. All this symbolism and story, which I try to convey using sharp strokes of the putty, is designed to introduce the viewer to the world that I interact with every day, which I process to create a horizon for new discoveries.”

Anna Gross

Born in Cieszyn, painter and teacher. A graduate of the University of Silesia. She graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture under the supervision of Prof. Jerzy Fober. Since 2005 he has been living in Gdańsk. She conducts handicraft and ceramics workshops and designs jewellery. She is a resident of WL4 – an association working for the benefit of art in the Gdańsk Shipyard.

Recent exhibitions:

• 2020 – Painting exhibition: “Impossible objects, possible states” with Agnieszka Ledóchowska – Republic of Dreams, Garrison of Culture, Gdańsk
• 2019 – Painting exhibition “Psychotropy” with Tomasz Gos – WL4-Space of Art, Gdańsk
• 2019 – International exhibition Performative Dialogue of 27 Artists on Freedom for the 100th Anniversary of Independence (part 2) – WL4 Milky Piotr
• 2018 – International exhibition “Performative Dialogue of 27 Artists on Freedom for the 100th Anniversary of Independence (part 1)” – Hotel Groslot, Orléans, France
• 2018 – International Exhibition “Connection” – WL4 Mleczny Piotr, Gdansk
• 2018 – Exhibition “WL4 – reactivation” – new headquarters of WL4 Imperial Shipyard, Gdańsk

Anna Gross on art

“Painting, and more broadly – art, can take many forms. It can be sacrum or meditation, it can be a juggling trick, a riot of colors, a wink of the eye. It can be graceful or an ascetic, introverted contemplation of the world. What’s more: the artist doesn’t have to stick to one chosen path. It’s good if he experiments, changes directions and surprises – even himself. Life is a constant change, and the artist, following its meanders, reacts to reality through his sensitivity, sensitive perception of senses and meanings, and transposes them into his own language, which he uses to communicate with the world. In the clash between the creator and the viewer, a new meaning is created, new emotions, or perhaps just states in which we want to stay for longer, such as when we see an inspiring landscape, the play of light and shadow, the movement of clouds in the sky, the clash of colors that evoke memories in us, the sometimes elusive, unspeakable response from within us – just like a fragment of a song we have heard. Abstract painting often refers to such elusive glimpses of perception preserved in the subconscious. It allows them to break free.”

WE INVITE YOU FROM JULY 3 TO THE LOBBY OF OLIVIA STAR