FOREWORD

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‘Silesia’ is a historical, resource rich and populous central European region located in southwest of Poland devided into Upper and Lower Silesia. Upper Selesia is well known for coal mining and its steel factories. Even today it is known for one of the most industrialized zones of Poland. Mikolów, Gliwice, Katowice, and Zabrze are few of the well-known towns in this region. 

In this steelwork and mining environment lives a man who is a husband, a father, a lecturer, and an artist. And his name is Tomsz Tobolewski. He is an accomplished and an award-winning artist of highest caliber who creates rebellious piece of art works that are very powerful in expression and thought-provoking in visuals - at the same time. 

Tomasz was born in Zabrze in 1973. After graduating from the Mining Technical School he followed his heart to pursue the studies in Art. He is graduated from the highly acclaimed Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow (Graphic Arts Department in Katowice). Additionally, he also completed diploma in Prof. S. Kluska's Concave Print Studio with distinction. Even though he is an artist, he prefers to be called CREATOR because in contemporary world any one can be artists and according to him the word ARTIST is misused and devalued that is a fact. 

Teaching, meeting with people, lecturers, mentors and students, are the very important time that Tomasz spends because these meetings consist of a mutual exchange of thoughts, observations, experiences, sensitivity. They made or make him understand what is creativity is. He learnt and still learning creativity. For him creativity is all about exploring, discovering, guessing, experiencing reality, and building a relationship with them through one's own individual inner visions and perspectives.  At the same time, Tomasz appreciates self-taught artists very much, “because, self-taught artists are are more truthful, honest in what they do and less "distorted" in their creation,” he says.

Tomasz’s works are abstract in nature, but stories are narrated with vivid colours. The region he lives in Poland, associated with mines, steelworks, and a typical working environment. The landscape is as if "covered with ash" according to his childhood memory. Therefore, he thinks that could be the reason why there is so much colour in his paintings.  

When I asked him about his creations Tomasaz explained to me that, it is enough for a person to stop for a moment in front of his painting, to reflect, to reverie, or relax from day-today life. His creations are not journalitic kind or form of activism that is become popular form of art nowadays. What he means is his creations are not the kind of art that fights, although it is good that such art form exists. He considers such art works can become a "weapon" for a good cause in this world filled with unrest and turbulence. But, what he does is rather an attempt to express himself between what is already known and the mystery that we carry within each of us. 

„I am focused on the creative process, its dramas and mysteries. It is a sensual experience, heterogeneous, this process has become a kind of therapy (or maybe escape), it can sometimes be predicted, you can also plan it, but you can also act intuitively, trust your intuition (that's how I like it best). All this to understand the world, to understand myself. 

I do not describe, I leave room for interpretation. I do not impose my vision. Often, in my case, a painting is an unambiguous visible message. The title additionally suggests a reading of the canvas. However, I like it when a painting slips away“, he adds. 

As for as his inspirations is concerned, he likes to peep at the old masters. One can say that he tries to have a dialogue with them, maybe understandable only to himself.  „There would be no contemporary art without references, borrowings, adaptations, sometimes unconscious references, transpositions, etc. to old art. It is our heritage that we benefit from. We must not forget about it, especially now in times when the boundaries between categories and  boundaries in art are blurred. While creating its new codes, we must not forget the past“, he describes.

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-  by

Deviprasad C Rao

(Artist / Curator / Writer)