Wladyslaw Kazmierczak, UK/Poland

Born in 1951, lives and works in London.

Educated at the Academy of Fine Art in Krakow, Kazmierczak started with performance art in 1974 and became a pioneer in performance in Poland. He was also the curator and organizer of the first national performance art festival in Krakow in May 1981.

He initiated and curated the international performance art festival “Castle of Imagination” in Poland 1992 – 2006 / 15 editions. The artist states "To be a performer is an attitude towards the world and oneself, not towards art. The struggle of Performance is a silent, heroic fight for the freedom of expressing momentous and significant ideas."

Working together as a duo with Ewa Rybska, they have produced a number of political performances based on aspects of freedom which is limited everywhere. Even paradoxically in the democratic countries. Their performances are focuses on themes such as political hypocrisy and issues of oppression. They often use irony and an nihilistic attitude in their performances. Especially against the institutions and idols of fashionable values and artificial icons in art and culture.

Ewa Rybska & Wladyslaw Kazmierczak started art as duo performers in 1997. Since then they have created over 150 performances in Slovakia, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Belarus, Ireland, Slovenia, Mexico, Indonesia, Canada, Korea, France, USA, Israel, Finland, Estonia, Spain, Great Britain, Sweden, China and Poland (21). They are living in exile in the UK from 13 years.