Paweł Kowalewski

A painter, intermedia artist, retired professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and founding member of the legendary Gruppa. From 1978 to 1983, he studied at the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, graduating with honours from Stefan Gierowski’s studio. In 1982, he co-founded Gruppa, one of the key artistic formations of the 1980s. He was also a co-creator of Oj dobrze już, the journal published by the collective.

From 1985 to 2023, he taught at the Faculty of Design of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where he was awarded the title of professor in 2019. Kowalewski’s practice encompasses a wide range of media, including painting on canvas and paper, photography, sculpture, NFTs, installations and ready-mades. His work is characterised by the conceptual and Dadaist comments and titles with which he has accompanied his pieces since the beginning of his artistic career.

Each of his works carries profound meaning, offering a commentary on reality or referring to literary texts, personal experiences or historical events. His work is held in numerous major collections, including those of the National Museum in Warsaw, the National Museum in Kraków, Zachęta — National Gallery of Art, Museum Jerke in Recklinghausen, the Museum of Art in Łódź, the District Museum in Bydgoszcz, the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, as well as the ING Polish Art Foundation and the Starak Family Foundation.