Mateusz Kowalczyk

Visual artist, performer, activist. Master’s degree graduate of the Faculty of Media Art of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Final diploma: Studio of Spatial Activities, supervisor: professor Mirosław Bałka. Diploma annex: 3D and Virtual Occurrences Studio, supervisor: Jakub Wróblewski, Ph.D. Most recently, focused on industrial hemp penalisation in Poland as part of the final Master’s thesis. For purposes of the diploma annex, showcased the pandemic experience in a political context through live performative action on the Mozilla Hubs platform. His areas of interest include performance, collective work, virtual reality (VR), 3D, and artistic involvement in public protests. The centreline of his artistic practice bases on generating interactive experiences with the use of objects, performance and music. Has been actively contributing (since 2015) to the Bródno Sculpture Park developed on initiative of Paweł Althamer and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. Szaman Polski (Polish Shaman) project manager since 2018 (including i.a. Mecz o powodzenie mieszkańców Bródna / Match for the Success of Bródno Residents, 2018; performance at the BWA Warszawa Gallery, 2019; participation in the event W Polsce nie ma faszyzmu / There Is No Fascism in Poland, Powszechny Theatre, Warsaw, 2019; second prize of the 2019 Hestia Artistic Journey Awards / exhibition at the Museum of Modern art in Warsaw). Today, he focuses i.a. on working with virtual reality media on experiences inspired by Anthropocene, 3D technology, photogrammetry, and smartphone object scanning. Uses own electronic music compositions and soundscapes in his realisations. Working with sound is an essential part of his artistic practice.