March Issue 2000
Works by Maja Godlewska on Exhibit at The Gallery At Carillon, Charlotte, NC
Material possessions, with our body as the most fundamental one, are now being displayed and are subject to public examination.
Physical Examination, a solo show of Maja Godlewska's newest large scale, mixed media paintings will open on Mar. 17 and run through May 2000 at the Gallery at Carillon in Charlotte, NC.
"Our body - naked, dressed or adorned, makes a statement about our position in the society, despite whether one lives under a communist regime, in a developing African country or in prosperous America. I have had a chance to experience all of those environments. No matter what religion or lack of, how poor or wealthy the society might be, humans signalize their importance, position and influence by displaying status symbols - possessions. This of course incorporates our looks. Other objects on display may vary from a nut-shell bowl to a SUV," says Maja Godlewska , who is a an artist from Wroclaw, Poland.
Great athletes become modern heroes in Western culture. They are treasured for their achievements and for their physical appearance. Show business celebrities and fashion models become icons, but for their physical rather than their intellectual values. Their looks are being used as a master copy for millions. Interestingly, later on celebrities are often perceived as intellectual authorities as well; being asked to share opinions on important matters.
Do we believe, as Plato did, that "beauty" is the equivalent of "good"? Do we celebrate bodies and our physical selves like ancient Greeks? Or is it rather mixed with the belief that a sinful body is the tool of Satan? Does that contradiction explain the present wave of Puritanism? At the same time, under the present influence of different religions and philosophies, especially some of far-eastern systems, aren't we trying to see ourselves as a whole and as a harmonious part of cosmos?
Godlewska is a painter, born and educated in Wroclaw, Poland, which is one of Charlotte's Sister Cities. She graduated in 1990 obtaining her Master of Fine Arts degree from Wroclaw Fine Arts Academy. In 1991 she continued her education at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.
Godlewska has lived and worked creatively in Poland, West Africa, France and extensively traveled in Europe and the United States gathering inspiration for her work. Although her primary medium is painting, she also has experience as a printer, a photographer and book illustrator. She started her career in Europe, where she still continues her artistic venture, taking part in solo and group shows, in non-profit and commercial spaces. From 1997 she has been living and working as an artist in Charlotte. Godlewska had 16 solo shows in Poland, the United States, France and Ireland and participated in over 21 group exhibitions in Poland, the United States, Germany, France and Ukraine. Many of them were invitational or based on competitive selection processes.
Godlewska has been the recipient of various grants including the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York and from European Community Tempus Mobility in Brussels, Belgium. She received the Arts and Science Council Regional Artist Project Grant in Charlotte in 1999. Her works are in corporate and private collections in Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and in private collections in Poland, Germany, France, Italy and the United States.
Godlewska is currently an art instructor at Central Piedmont Community College; active member in the art community in Charlotte, an active volunteer for Charlotte Sister Cities Committee and a member of the Mint Museum. She is locally represented by Christa Faut Gallery in Cornelius, NC. Godlewska acted as a board member, jury member and international exhibitions curator for the Polish Artists' Association in Wroclaw, Poland.
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