{creative history} wladyslaw hasior

i know, i know. who the heck is that? you're asking yourself.

several years ago while traveling around europe with a friend, we found ourselves in a little town in poland called zakopane, very close to the slovakian border. this was truly one of the most wonderful places i have ever been. it was a polish ski town of sorts, with a ski resort at the top of a mountain at the top of which was the obrder between poland and slovakia.


but i digress. one of the most interesting parts about visiting zakopane was our trip to the wladyslaw hasior gallery. hasior (1928-1999) was a polish painter, sculptor, stage designer, and poet. he had one heck of a personality, and reactions to his work were often extreme-- ranging from hatred to admiration. his works were indeed strange, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes funny, and there was this bizarre, ethereal music running throughout the gallery the whole time we were there that made the whole experience more complete. the gallery was born in 1985, by hasior himself. it is in a building that was built in 1935, in the zakopane style which is so prominent in the region.

he used all kinds of materials in his work, from mannequins to forks to scraps of metal. useless objects were transformed into strange pieces of art that were intricately tied to hasior's reality of living through the war (wwII) and being accused of patronizing the communists.


this is what is said about his work in the exhibition catalog in his gallery in zakopane:

"wladyslaw hasior's works are universal. they are very Polish, too. while they are connected with the Podhale region, its culture, beliefs, history and nature, and are concerned with the basics of work, the rhythm of life, and with regional tradition and modernity, they also convey a more general message. this message is not just something extra, appearing alongside local values. all hasior's work incorporates some universal qualities." (quoted from here)



if you are ever in poland, please do not miss zakopane, and you will be so pleased if you visit the wladyslaw hasior gallery, i promise!