Piotr Uklański

Piotr Uklański is a contemporary Polish-American artist who has been creating art since the mid-1990s, exploring themes of spectacle, cliché, and tropes of modern art.  

Biography of Piotr Uklański

Piotr Uklański was born in 1968 in Warsaw, Poland. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, earning a BFA. Later, he moved to New York, where he pursued photography studies at Cooper Union and obtained his Master's in Fine Arts in 1995.

Uklański made his mark on the New York art scene in the mid-1990s with the iconic piece titled "Untitled (Dance Floor)" (1996). This sculpture seamlessly blends the principles of minimalism with elements of popular entertainment.

His photo series, titled "Untitled (The Nazis)," incited protests during its exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery in London in 1998. Subsequently, in 2000, it was destroyed in a publicity stunt orchestrated by a renowned Polish actor while on display at Zacheta Gallery in Warsaw.

Piotr Uklański's solo exhibitions include "Piotr Uklański" at MASSIMODECARLO Pièce Unique in Paris (2022), "Il Tormento di Chopin" at Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris in Paris (2022), "How they met themselves" at Massimo De Carlo in Milan (2020), "Ottomania" at Luxembourg + Co. in New York (2019), "Piotr Uklański: Collages" at Nahmad Contemporary in New York (2015), "Blood Paintings" at Dallas Contemporary in Dallas (2014), "Floored" at Gagosian Gallery in Genève (2013), and many more.

Piotr Uklański's Art Style

Piotr Uklański has crafted a provocative body of work spanning various media, encompassing installation, paper reliefs, tie-dye paintings, immersive sculptures with textiles, resin-based sculptures, and paintings, as well as photography, performance, and a feature-length film. Photography can be regarded as his primary medium.

The materials used in his artworks span from resin, linen, plant fiber, and aluminum to pencil shavings, colored graphite, and ceramics. The artist employs unconventional materials by weaving them together or using alternative methods to affix them either to each other or onto canvas.

The style of Uklański's work is as diverse as his selection of materials. His art has challenged societal perspectives on death and sex, frequently delving into the exploration of political movements as they intersect with society and media.