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OLEK
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The work of OLEK, born Agata Oleksiak in industrial Poland, explores sexuality, feminist ideals and the evolution of communication through color, conceptual exploration and meticulous detail. OLEK consistently pushes the boundaries between fashion, art, craft and public art—fluidly combining the sculptural and the fanciful. With the old fashion technique of crocheting, she uses the ephemeral medium of yarn to express everyday occurrences, inspirations and creating a metaphor for the complexity and interconnectedness of our body and psychological processes.
OLEK’s bursts of bright colors often mask political and cultural critiques woven into the fibers of her installations, mirroring her respect for artists and writers. She highlights that which already exists in the current time and environment. As an active supporter of women’s rights, sexual equality, and freedom of expression, OLEK has used the broad appeal of her work to display her solidarity with those stifled by oppressive laws worldwide. Her transformation of public spaces and objects reflects cultural evolution, mirroring the public response, from those watching and from those within the art.
OLEK’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide including Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC, The New Museum, New York, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland, The …
The work of OLEK, born Agata Oleksiak in industrial Poland, explores sexuality, feminist ideals and the evolution of communication through color, conceptual exploration and meticulous detail. OLEK consistently pushes the boundaries between fashion, art, craft and public art—fluidly combining the sculptural and the fanciful. With the old fashion technique of crocheting, she uses the ephemeral medium of yarn to express everyday occurrences, inspirations and creating a metaphor for the complexity and interconnectedness of our body and psychological processes.
OLEK’s bursts of bright colors often mask political and cultural critiques woven into the fibers of her installations, mirroring her respect for artists and writers. She highlights that which already exists in the current time and environment. As an active supporter of women’s rights, sexual equality, and freedom of expression, OLEK has used the broad appeal of her work to display her solidarity with those stifled by oppressive laws worldwide. Her transformation of public spaces and objects reflects cultural evolution, mirroring the public response, from those watching and from those within the art.
OLEK’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide including Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC, The New Museum, New York, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland, The Textile Museum, Washington DC, and Kordegarda Gallery, Warsaw, Poland. Site specific installations and performances include The Sky is Pink, The Room Is Green, Pacific Design Center, LA, 2011, and Bring Your Clothes, The Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, 2010.
Courtesy of the Artist
Born 1978
Hometown Silesia, Poland
Lives and Works New York, NY
Education
BA, Cultural Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, 2000
Works Available for Purchase
No works
