Igor Piątek

Graduated from the J. Matejko State School of Fine Arts in Nowy Wiśnicz, specializing in artistic ceramics. He continues his education at the Ceramics Department at the E. Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw. His interests focus on assemblage, collage, video art and performance art. He draws inspiration from folklore and mundane situations. In ceramics, he explores the possibilities of masses and looks for ways to sensitively represent non-ceramic materials. He actively participates in performance classes taught by Ewa Zarzycka. Igor is involved in art events and projects, both as a member of student research groups and as a private individual.

GAIK

“As a thirteen-year-old boy, I belonged to the folk group Krakowiacy. One of our showpiece numbers was a dance with a gaik to welcome spring. Gaik was a large bouquet of flowers set on a wooden stick with multicolored ribbons attached to its top. The gaik was placed in the center of a circle formed by the girls. Each of them grabbed one ribbon and they passed each other to form a colorful canopy. It was an amazing experience for me in which I could only participate as a spectator. Gaik could only be danced by girls.

In my performance I revisit this memory in a modified form.

I aim at creating a free performance space in which everyone can participate. We will aim at building a canopy, but it is not a priority here. The most important aspect is liberation through play and group creation.”