Life Isn’t a Fairy Tale - a joint exhibition of Jacek Kröle & Krzysztof Tarnowski

Opens: Thursday, 27 May 2021, at 5 p.m.
Open until: Wednesday, 29 July 2021

ArtBrut Gallery
& Studio for Socio-Cultural Inclusions
Wrocław, 46a Ruska Street

Exhibition Artistic Mentor: Dominika Łabądź

The exhibition is built around the intertwining of the artists' individual paths and their collaboration at this particular exhibition. The artists, who normally work in different styles and themes, established an interesting partnership while working on a comic book proposed by Krzysztof Tarnowski. Another departure point for the concept of the exhibition was an interview they conducted with each other, simultaneously impersonating the fictitious editors Moll and Zając. In this interview, the artists reveal to us the secrets of their work and their areas of interest, represented both in their comic strips, this being the leitmotif of the whole exhibition, and in their individual realisations.

Both artists impersonate their artistic alter egos. As a cartoonist, Krzysztof Tarnowski explores the world and contemporary processes through drawing. His comics (Cat, Panther, Eagle, Echo, Samurai, Hermit) provide a profound analysis of social, moral, political and historical phenomena, often with autobiographical threads. His works are full of witty and accurate commentaries on reality, characterised at the same time by a high degree of humour and sometimes even eroticism. The balance between seriousness and humour in the issues he addresses is perfectly preserved. Jacek Kröle is mainly a painter and a colourist. He is equally at home in representational and abstract painting, and in both cases, it is colour that determines their composition. Working on collaborative comics such as Dragon, Ghost and Oedipus the King, brought him closer to comics. In case of Ghost and Dragon, Jacek Kröle complements Krzysztof's black and white drawings with colour. The often very minimalistic and almost abstract frames gain a completely different dimension thanks to the introduction of colour. In his work on Oedipus the King, Jacek Kröle proposes not only colour, but also the narrative itself.

In addition to close collaboration of the two artists and their joint project, the exhibition also features individual works by both of them.

Krzysztof Tarnowski – an artist associated with ArtBrut Gallery & Studio since 2016. He considers himself a daily observer of the world around him. He writes short stories, screenplays, poems, song lyrics and essays reflecting his own thoughts. He mainly works with drawing – creating both single works and series. One of his favourite media is comics. He is passionate about history, especially of Lviv and the Borderlands, which is often reflected in his works. He is not afraid to touch upon difficult and controversial topics. He is fascinated by music – he plays the flute and the piano and creates his own musical scores.
Selected exhibitions by the artist: BEYOND TABOO III. RELATIONS, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2016; IN SEARCH OF HARMONY, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2017; ArtBrut at the 5TH BIENNALE OF URBAN ART - OUT OF STH – OCCUPATION, BWA AWANGARDA, Wrocław 2017; BEYOND TABOO IV. CASTAWY, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2017; ArtBrut at Retroperspektywy Festival; Art Incubator – Fabryka Sztuki, Łódź 2018; BEYOND TABOO VI. COMMUNITY, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2019; EXHIBITION OF THE EPIDEMIC TIME - 'SHOO!', ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2020; BEYOND TABOO VII. ANXIETY AND FEAR, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2020.

Jacek Kröle – an artist associated with ArtBrut Gallery & Studio since 2016. He uses various techniques and modes of expression - he creates drawings, paintings and objects. He has made a series of photographs surprising with their unusual approach to the portrait form. His works are expressive, intriguing and often hook into abstraction. He has become known as an artist with an unusual sense of colour. He is interested in film and music, while during the project In Search of Harmony his extraordinary rhythmic talent was revealed.
Selected exhibitions by the artist: ArtBrut at the 5TH BIENNALE OF URBAN ART - OUT OF STH – OCCUPATION, BWA AWANGARDA, Wrocław 2017; BEYOND TABOO VI. COMMUNITY, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2017; ArtBrut at Retroperspektywy Festival; Art Incubator – Fabryka Sztuki, Łódź 2018; BEYOND TABOO VI. COMMUNITY, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2019; EXHIBITION OF THE EPIDEMIC TIME - 'SHOO!', ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2020; BEYOND TABOO VII. ANXIETY AND FEAR, ArtBrut Gallery & Studio, Wrocław 2020.