Michał Smandek

Michal Smandek is a visual artist concerned with the interdependence of human activities and nature. He undertakes a critical reflection on anthropocentrism and materialism and draws attention to environmental degradation. His practice is based on travel experiences. He invites and involves local communities in collaborative activities, makes spatial modifications to the landscape, and translates the relationships observed in nature into the language of art. His philosophy of travelling with backpack and tent determines his strategies and working methods, during which he blurs the boundaries between interference and ‘noticing’, i.e. the encountered situation with a high art factor. He creates sculptures, installations, photographs and initiates collective-performative actions. Michal Smandek is a scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, winner of the ShowOFF section of the Krakow Month of Photography (2015), participant in the LAM 360° International Land Art Biennale in Mongolia (2014), the Bangla International Biennale in India (2019) and the Backlight Photo Festival in Finland (2020). He collaborates with Rodríguez Gallery. He works as an assistant professor at the sculpture studio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Poland, and received his doctorate at the University of Arts in Poznan.