Wanda Czełkowska

Studies: Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow, 1949-1954. Diploma in Prof Jerzy Bandura’s studio, 1954. She was a member of the Krakow Group, 1967-1982. Laureate of the award for sculpture Mother at the exhibition 10 Years of Sculpture at the Krakow Region of ZPAP (Association of Polish Artists), Palace of Art in Krakow (1955), 1^st Award in the Competition for Park Sculpture for the Krakow City (1961), 1^st Award in the Competition for the Project of Park Sculpture for the Krakow City (the sculpture Players has never been produced as an outdoor sculpture, 1962); Award of the Critique and Artistic Information Section of the Association of Polish Journalists in Krakow for the spatial project Absolute Elimination of Sculpture as a Notion of Shape (1973); scholarship of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2001, 2012). Author of sculptures, objects, paintings, lithographs and photographs.

In her work the artist used interesting resolutions combining archaism with conceptualism. A motif recurring in her whole oeuvre is the head, which underwent a gradual deconstruction or multiplication. In this changing, varied form of heads you can see a gradual departure from figurative, expressionistic representations for the sake of conceptualism and search for the new matter of sculpture. Her portraits of simplified, cubism-like form have an anthropoid character. Apart from a dramatic, anti-aesthetic expression, they display a certain delicacy emphasized by a hand gesture. Thanks to minimalist means and sometimes deep engravings, her portraits gain an additional expression. The sculptress very much wanted to convey mental states which constitute one of the main threads in her work.