Michal Wisniowski
Encyclopedia
Michał Wojciech Wiśniowski (born September 30, 1980 in Wrocław, Poland
), known as Michal Wisniowski, is a contemporary
artist
who works in both fine art
s media, such as painting, as well as digital
and commercial media.
Poland
, from where his family fled to Western Europe
seeking political asylum
and eventually settling in West Germany
. In 1995 Wisniowski emigrated again, from Germany
to the US.
He studied fine art and philosophy at Rocky Mountain College
, and after receing his Bachelor of Fine Arts
in 2003 moved to North Carolina. During his time on the East Coast
Wisniowski began his career as an emerging artist in the contemporary pop art
genre.
In 2007 he founded Aniwave
, the first and only anime film festival on the North Carolina coast, a direct result of his interest in otaku
sub-culture. In 2009, Michal Wisniowski debuted a solo exhibition under the title "[ peripheral / interface ]" which met with attention from local press as "a sure-footed step forward."
, manga
, video games and otaku
sub-culture. Influenced by the work of Japanese pop artists such as Takashi Murakami
, Wisniowski's work also comments on otaku lifestyle, consumerism, and politics.
"Severed" is an example of a Wisniowski piece which exhibits his experiences with Buddhism
, while "Economics" carries the recurring anime motif and blends it with commentary on the US economic climate of 2009.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), known as Michal Wisniowski, is a contemporary
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who works in both fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
s media, such as painting, as well as digital
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
and commercial media.
Life and career
Michal Wisniowski was born in communistCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, from where his family fled to Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
seeking political asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
and eventually settling in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. In 1995 Wisniowski emigrated again, from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to the US.
He studied fine art and philosophy at Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College , located in Billings, Montana, is a private comprehensive college offering more than 25 liberal arts- and professionally oriented majors. In fall 2009, the college had 894 enrolled students...
, and after receing his Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in 2003 moved to North Carolina. During his time on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
Wisniowski began his career as an emerging artist in the contemporary pop art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
genre.
In 2007 he founded Aniwave
Aniwave
Aniwave is an annual festival combining several elements of an anime convention and a film festival, held since 2007 in the Cape Fear area of North Carolina.-Programming:...
, the first and only anime film festival on the North Carolina coast, a direct result of his interest in otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
sub-culture. In 2009, Michal Wisniowski debuted a solo exhibition under the title "[ peripheral / interface ]" which met with attention from local press as "a sure-footed step forward."
Artwork
From an early age Wisniowski has been strongly influenced by the influx of Japanese media into the West. His artwork exhibits a strong focus on visuals derived from animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, video games and otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
sub-culture. Influenced by the work of Japanese pop artists such as Takashi Murakami
Takashi Murakami
is an internationally prolific contemporary Japanese artist. He works in fine arts media—such as painting and sculpture—as well as what is conventionally considered commercial media —fashion, merchandise, and animation— and is known for blurring the line between high and low art...
, Wisniowski's work also comments on otaku lifestyle, consumerism, and politics.
"Severed" is an example of a Wisniowski piece which exhibits his experiences with Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, while "Economics" carries the recurring anime motif and blends it with commentary on the US economic climate of 2009.