STANISLAW LEWKOWICZ NEW. FLATLAND AMSTERDAM 11 April 2013 till 04 May 2013

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1 STANISLAW LEWKOWICZ NEW FLATLAND AMSTERDAM 11 April 2013 till 04 May 2013 STANISLAW LEWKOWICZ NEW FLATLAND AMSTERDAM Lijnbaansgracht WZ Amsterdam Open: Wednesday Saturday, 1 pm 6 pm Cities have always been an enduring preoccupation for Stanislaw Lewkowicz (1956, Hoensbroek, The Netherlands). In his recent and on-going series, titled Fragmentarische herinneringen (fragmented recollections) Lewkowicz offers predominantly different perspectives of street views and views of rooms. These unrealistic city-pics give the urban experience, full of cacophony of noises, a new face and the feeling of memory a sense of significance. Marked by a seemingly rhythm of natural facades, however, all are underpinned by the same personal approach to the medium of lithography and photography. Stanislaw Lewkowicz s photographs/lithographs are indistinct hybrid art works in a way that they have an intimate feel. At the same time they distance themselves from the viewer, and perhaps even the artist. A cool result that comes from Lewkowicz s technique of working the photographic origins with his lithographic technique with the image, making it a merger between photography and lithography, or even the blurring of figuration and abstraction, that captures the literally and conceptually meaning of his work at the same time. What defines his art works is the revelation of the different undercurrents beneath the surface; the ineligible; the invisible beauty that one cannot put into words. To decipher his works, one usually tries to decipher the photograph; this is most of the time an arbitrary picture that Lewkowicz took on one of his travels. But being the groundwork for the final work of art, his photographs are aimed towards a conceptual theme he is after.

2 The technique of lithography gives Lewkowicz a chance to work with his hands on the original photograph. In this way, his technique is a mechanism for Lewkowicz to plunge himself deeper in his subject matter, an engagement that starts personal but transforms itself to refer beyond himself to more general conditions of society. The photograph is thus the perfect image of personal detachment and the beginning of Lewkowicz s focus on working towards the lithographic end-result that shows the people s collective interest in most of the time cultural achievements or memories of the past. This is evident in his BAIGNEURS series he made in At this show in Flatland we can see this work as well in which we 'see' Russian immigrant workers who are enjoying a free afternoon on the beach on the west coast of the Island of Elba, amid mostly Italian tourists. But as with Lewkowicz' other work, there is a detachment of the subject of the immigrant workers towards a conceptual meaning of Europe, its workers, and the future. Biography Stanislaw Lewkowicz (1956, Hoensbroek, The Netherlands) Stanislaw Lewkowicz studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Before this he worked at the age of 16 as a fresh deck cadet for the shipping line the Koninklijke Java China Pakketvaart. From Durban (South Africa) where he was stationed, he was booked on to the giant freighters and even merchant marine ships. After Lewkowicz finished his studies in Utrecht, he continued his education at the Academy of Warsaw in Poland but was forced to leave due to the explosive political situation in Poland and subsequently the closure of the university. Lewkowicz travelled for a couple of years through Europe, working as a farm or land labourer, sometimes even industrial worker, or even as an employee for a British Railway company. After this life as a wondering labourer, Lewkowicz settled in Amsterdam where he still lives and works. Lewkowicz comes from a Jewish Polish family that has its roots in Lwow (Lemberg), the current Lviv in the Ukraine, and Przemyśl, a city in southeastern Poland in the near Lwów. During the Second World War, Mieczysław Lewkowicz, Lewkowicz father was arrested in a raid when he was merely 13-year-old. Liberated by the American army, Lewkowicz father settled at the end of the war in South Limburg as stateless citizen and started to work in the coalmines. Stanislaw Lewkowicz exhibitions include twice a show in the 1980s at Museum Fodor, Amsterdam (today s FOAM Amsterdam); other shows include those at the Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen (2006); Stedelijk Museum Roermond, Roermond (2005); the 2 nd Guanlan International Print Biennial, in Shenzhen, China, organized by the China Artists Association and curated by Zhao Jiachun, in Apart from private collections, his work is in the permanent collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, The Netherlands; the Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands and the Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, The Netherlands. In 1986 and 1988 Lewkowicz was awarded the Dutch graphics award and in 1988 the International Award for Marine Painting in Antwerp. In addition to his work, Lewkowicz work includes assignments for the public space. Overwhelming and sublime projects include the Arrival Hall 3 for Schiphol airport (1995), the mist sculpture for the Dutch Embassy in Berlin (2004) in conjunction with architect Rem Koolhaas, the Starry Sky for the municipality of Veenendaal (2007), The lonely corner in Capelle aan de IJssel (2009) and the 1 miles long Bells Ribbon in Berkel Rodenrijs ( ). In 2013, tracing time and modernity, Lewkowicz realized a 104- meters long new light sculpture at the A50 highway which resembles a fata morgana in the flat landscape near Eindhoven. With the help of camera s Lewkowicz beams the traffic movements.

3 Education Academy of Fine Arts, Utrecht Academy of Warsaw, Poland Awards Nederlandse Grafiekprijs, 1988 Internationale Prijs voor Marineschilderen Antwerpen, 1988 Nederlandse Grafiekprijs, 1986 [Caption] Stanislaw Lewkowicz, 'Roze klamboe', I Won't Let You Go, 2010, Photography and lithography on dibond / epoxy, 82 x 110 cm, courtesy Flatland Gallery (Amsterdam) [Caption] Stanislaw Lewkowicz, 'Gele taxi', Fragmentarische herinneringen, 2013, Photography and lithography on dibond / epoxy, 20 X 28 cm, ed.1/1, courtesy Flatland Gallery (Amsterdam) More information or images: FLATLAND GALLERY [email protected]

4 STANISLAW LEWKOWICZ Selected exhibitions 2013 NEW, Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam 2012 SLICK Art Fair, Paris 2011 'I Won't let You Go', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht Art Rotterdam, Rotterdam 'De Salon', Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam Art Amsterdam, Amsterdam 2010 PAN Amsterdam, Amsterdam nd Guanlan International Print Biennial, Guanlan, China 2008 'Lithographs and designs for objects of art in the public space', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) 2006 'De Italiaanse Verlokking', Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen 'Nieuwe leden', Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam 'De Salon 2006' Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam 2005 'Zilver landschap', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) '20 Jaar schilderijen en grafiek', Stedelijk Museum Roermond, Roermond 2003 'Boegbeelden in kaart', CBK Utrecht, Utrecht 'Polderlicht', Stichting Polderlicht, Amsterdam 2002 'Het geluid van de stilte', Stedelijk Museum Roermond, Roermond 'Kunst zonder kerk', Museum voor Religieuze Kunst, Uden

5 2000 'Foto's in inkt', Grafisch Atelier Utrecht, Utrecht 1998 'Moonlichting', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) 1996 'Stanislaw Lewkowicz', Link, The Contemporary Art Company, Den Haag (solo) 'Portfolio II', Stedelijk Museum Roermond 1995 'Disneyland', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) 1994 'Negen winterlandschappen', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) 1993 '111 litho's op carbon papier', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) 1991/1992 'Litho's, Kunststichting AZL, Leiden (solo) 1990 'O muorto o stuorto, accucchiame sempe', Museum Fodor, (today FOAM museum, Amsterdam) (solo) 'Grafiek', Flatland Gallery, Utrecht (solo) 1989 'Gemeentelijke kunstaankopen 1988', Museum Fodor (today's FOAM), Amsterdam 'Holland at the festival', Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh 'Een keuze uit de grafiekcollectie Amrobank', Drents Museum, Assen 'Beeldende kunst Biennale Noord-Holland', Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem 'Unbegrenzte Freyung: Die Niederlander', Palais Harrach, Wenen, Austria 1988 'Vierzehn Nothelfer', Galerie De Expeditie, Amsterdam (solo) 'Grafiek NU', Singermuseum, Laren 'Junge Kunst aus den Niederlanden', Stadthalle, Mettman, Germany '3e Internationale Prijs voor Marine Schilderen E. van Marcke', Koninklijke Academie voor schone Kunsten, Anwerp, Belgium 1987 'Royal Interocean Lines', Gemeentemuseum Roermond (solo) 'Parc Saint Martain', Museum Fodor, (today FOAM museum, Amsterdam) (solo)

6 1986 'Royal Interocean Lines', Galerie De Expeditie, Amsterdam (solo) 'Twee Nederlandse grafische kunstenaars in Savonlinna', Galleria Belarte, Savonlinna, Finland (with Pieter Holstein) 'Aqua Vitae', Galerie De Expeditie, Amsterdam 1985 'Warschau Review', Museum Fodor (today FOAM museum, Amsterdam) (solo)

7 STANISLAW LEWKOWICZ Selected Collections Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht Centraal Museum, Utrecht Abn Amro Collection, Amsterdam

8 STANISLAW LEWKOWICZ Selected Assignments Assignment: City council of Veghel, with SKOR (Foundation for Art and Public Domain) Work: light sculpture at the A50 highway (a 104 meters long projection) Year: 2013 Assignment: City council of Alkmaar Work: In de stilte stroomt de tijd (long project clockwork) Year: 2012/2013 Assignment: Berkel en Rodenrijs Work: Klokkenlint (a 1 miles long lint of bells made from bronze)* Year: 2006 * Royal Eijsbouts, Asten (clients include IOC and the Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris) Assignment: Airport Schiphol, with Benthem en Crouwel Architekten B.V. Work: Arrival hall 3, Schiphol Year: 2005 Assignment: The Dutch Embassy in Berlin, Rem Koolhaas / OMA, Rotterdam Work: Mist Sculpture (installation) Year: 2004 Assignment: Rijksgebouwendienst, The Hague, Ministry of environmental policy (VROM) & Ministry of Justice Work: Roze wolk (pink cloud) Year: Assignment from: Airport Schiphol, with Benthem en Crouwel Architekten B.V. Work: P2-tunnel, Schiphol Year: 1998/1999 Assignment from: Koninklijke Marine (The Royal Navy), Den Helder Work: een twee drie in Godsnaam (one, two, three..in God s name) Year: 1997 Assignment from: Sociaal Fonds Bouwnijverheid, Amsterdam, with Premsela en Vonk, Amsterdam Work: Sloep (pinnace) Year: 1996 Assignment from: Rechtbank Alkmaar (Court of Justice of Alkmaar) Work: Het rechte pad (straight path) Year: 1995/1996

9 Assignment from: Airport Schiphol, with Benthem en Crouwel Architekten B.V. Work: VIP lounche, Schiphol Year: 1995 Assignment from: Airport Schiphol, with Kho Liang le Associates and Benthem en Crouwel Architekten B.V. Work: Arrivalhall 3, Schiphol Year: 1992/1993 Assignment from: KLM Cargo Work: glass and lithography, sculptures Year: 1991 Assignment from: Amsterdams Fonds voor de kunst, Stad Amsterdam Work: Carbon prints Year: 1991