Biography
Konrad Wyrebek creates large-format abstract paintings, which examine the relationship of mark-makings between the emotional artist’s hand and rational technology. The question is also raised as to how far and how soon, humanity is losing itself in the digital; how far we are already embarked on a journey that merges mind and body with the stuff of machine.
Like Wyrebek’s previous half flash, half steel ‘live sculpture’, contrasting elements are brought into play in Data Error Paintings Apart from showing merely elements of abstraction, Wyrebek’s paintings also retain the possibility of interference. They are not simply the product of corrupting process of data, each painting is unique and singular, and each finishing layer is retouched.
The nature of abstract art is always a subject of investigation in Wyrebek’s work. “Can photography be abstract?” he asks. In his previous work, Plato’s Cave, he photographed abstract light in different environments. The photographs look abstract, but they are, nevertheless, a faithful representation of reality. “It is a presentation of something that looks abstract, but it was an object, a video, a picture”
“I like the randomness. When the mistakes come out, for me, they look beautiful. By enforcing this mistake, they have the potential to become deeper stories than they are. The mistakes and pixelation eventually end up looking interesting and have the intellectual potential to open the gate to see and understand something different.”
There is a certain irony in Wyrebek’s abstract paintings, when the details are gone, we are but forced to step back to see a clearer and bigger picture. As the viewers step back, the boarders of the pixels become invisible, the process of pixelation is being reversed and the seemingly calm, regular and geometrical pixels become chaotic and dynamic. By reducing the superficial meaning, and by abstracting the figurative, artists like Wyrebek’s knowingly compel viewers to search for meaning in the art work, to see rather than simply looking.
On a daily base we are exposed to vast amounts of information that can be interrupted, transformed or even corrupted. Konrad Wyrebek’s DataError paintings open discussion and further investigation the chaotic and complex DNA of the digital age.
Konrad Wyrebek is a British-Polish artist and earned a degree in Fine Arts from London Metropolitan University in 2011, and previous to that, studied Fine Art Painting from Westminster University, London, and Art History and Technology of Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw. Wyrebek represents and challenges contemporary life and culture through the use of television-, film- and social media-based images, creating abstract video paintings. Recent exhibitions include PUBLICPRIVATE, Armory Art Week, New York (2014),Painting in Relation, Solyanka Art Museum, Moscow (2014), Flesh Reality, Point Zero Project Space, London (2013), Question of Sport, Royal Academy and Museum of Contemporary Art, Clifford Chance Collection, London (2012), and CutOut, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London (2011). Wyrebek is the recipient of the 2011 Sir John Cass Sculpture Prize, along with both the John Burn Sponsorship Award for 3-D printing and the Metropolitan Works Sponsorship Award for rapid prototyping, both in 2011. He has recently exhibited works from his Data Error series at The C Collection, curated by Vittoria Broggini at MiArt Milan and at the Dallas Art Fair in Dallas, Texas. Wyrebek lives and works in London.
CV
General
Konrad Wyrebek is British-Polish artist living and working in London, UK
Exhibitions and projects
- 2018 Beneath the Surface, exhibition with Pedro Matos and Konrad Wyrebek. Curated by Daniele Capra, at Eduardo Secci, Florence
Looking For U, with works by Ry David Bradley, Philip Colbert, Marc Gumpinger, André Hemer, Joshua Hagler, Tom Price, Michael Staniak and Konrad Wyrebek. Curated by Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt, at The Unit, London
Slippage: performative utterances in painting, with works by Ry David Bradley, Mike Ballard, Lucas Dupuy, Martine Poppe and Konrad Wyrebek. Curated by Lucy Von Goetz and Oliver Morris Jones at Post Institute, London
Art Brussels, with Daniel Arsham, Hans Op de Beeck, Levi van Veluw, Konrad Wyrebek and Troika, Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels
Politics of Pink, with works by Richie Culver, Matthew F Fisher, Elliot Fox, Albert Riera Galceran, Reuben Beren, James, Jonathan Lux, and Konrad Wyrebek. Curated by India Whalley, Lara Monro and Marta Szymura,, at The Dot Project,London
Art Dubai, with works by Afruz Amighi, Iva Gueorguieva, Amir Nikravan and Konrad Wyrebek, Sophia Contemporary, Dubai
How can we reconnect human culture with mother nature? With works by Tauba Auerbach, Bae Bien-U, Julian Schnabel, Günther Uecker, Corita Kent, Stefan Strumbel, Jonathan Yeo, Franz West, James Chronister, Matthew Hansel, Chris Johanson, Markus Keibel, Konrad Wyrebek, Antony Micallef, Johannes Nagel, Raymond Pettibon, Lennart Grau, Anneliese Schrenk, Bela Silva, Luzia Simons, Adrian Falkner, Charlie Isoe, Kevin Earl Taylor, Faye Toogood and XOOOOX. Curated by Johann Haehling von Lanzenauer, at Circle Culture,Berlin
Art Rotterdam, with Daniel Arsham, Hans Op de Beeck, Levi van Veluw and Konrad Wyrebek. Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam - 2017 Untitled Art Fair, Sophia Contemporary Gallery, Miami
“Im/material: Painting in the Digital Age”, Martin Basher, Michael Bell-Smith, Ry David Bradley, Chris Dorland, Matthew Hansel, Anna Ostoya, Josh Reames, and Konrad Wyrebek, at Sophia Contemporary Gallery, London
Art Brussels, with Isaac Julien, Katinka Lampe, Mohau Modisakeng, Hans Op de Beeck, Boris Tellegen, Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels
Dallas Art Fair, Sophia Contemporary Gallery, Dallas
“Searching for magic and the distorted image falling from your iCloud”, with Das Balloon, Derek Mainella, Gordon Cheung, Jonas Lund, Josh Reames, Konrad Wyrebek, Kristian Touborg, Michael Pybus, Ry David Bradley, Siebren Versteeg, Tilman Hornig, Victor Payares, Wendell Gladstone at The Dot Project, London - 2016 LOUPS, exhbition curated by Jean Christophe Arcos, at Museum Cognacq- Jay, Paris
Zero Zero, with Ivana Basic, Arvida Byström, Maisie Cousins, Ivan Liovik Ebel, Cao Fei, Oliver Haidutschek, Lucy Hardcastle, Eric Mack, Jennifer Mehigan, Vince Mckelvie, Signe Pierce, Molly Soda at Annka Kultys Gallery, London
TBD, with Peter Jellitsch, Zene Lewis, Matt Mignanell, Clemens Gunzer Gallery, Zurich
Art Brussels, with Daniel Arsham, Hans Op de Beeck, Levi van Veluw, Konrad Wyrebek, Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels
2°C above acCLI-M8 X, solo DataError show addressing Climate Changes / Global Warming, curated by Domenico de Chirico at Ron Mandos Gallery Amsterdam
IMAGINE, Brand New Gallery, Milan
Art Rotterdam, Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam
- 2015 LINK, with Antoine Donzeaud, Ryan Gander, Celia Hampton, Jürgen Klauke, Alexander Kroll, Emmanuel Lagarrigue, Simon Morett, Nick Oberthaler, Henrique Oliveira, Konrad Wyrebek. Curated by Rene-Julien Praz (Praz-Delavallade Gallery), Paris
Friezewk, group show with Gabriele De Santis, Ben Wolf Noam, Neil Raitt and Konrad Wyrebek, 10 Hanover, London
Art15, Art fair at Kensington Olympia, London
The Whole is Other than the Sum of the Parts, two persons exhibition with Sheree Hovsepian and Konrad Wyrebek, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London
The C Art Collection, Group exhibition with Sebastian Black, Nick Darmstaedter, Ryan Estep, Sam Falls, Ryan Foester, Mike Goldby, Sam Lipp, Brendan Lynch, Landon Metz, Sam Moyer, Oliver Osborne, Nicholas Pilato, Gerard Richter, Christian Rosa, Julia Rommel, Ben Schumacher, Lucien Smith, Claire Tabouret, Brad Troemel, Danh Vo and Konrad Wyrebek. Curated by Vittoria Broggini, Milan
Dallas Art Fair, Dallas - 2014 Space Age, curated by Jessica Warren, with works by Ophelia Finke, Santiago Taccetti, Nathan Green and Konrad Wyrebek, Hus Gallery, London
Video Painting in relation, curated by Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich and Sergey Popov, Solyanka Museum of Modern Art, Moscow
PUBLICPRIVATE, curated by Wills Baker & Sarah Sulistio during Armory Art week, New York - 2013 Flesh Reality, Group show, works by: Sarah Lucas, John Isaacs, Konrad Wyrebek, Erwin Wurm, Matthew Miles, Laurie Simmons, Whitney McVeigh, Tatsumi Hijikata, Kiki Smith, Matthew Killick, Hans Bellmer and Jiri Kolar. Curated by Point Zero and guest curator Eiko Honda, London
- 2012 Question of Sport, Clifford Chance Collection, curated by Michael Petry, Royal Academy and Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), London
Face/OFF, Group show with Eberhard Havekost, Maria Brunner, Tatjana Doll, Frank Nitsche, Bjarne Melgaard and John Isaacs. Curated by Olga Hammermeister. Gallery Gebr. Lehmann, Berlin - 2011 On Time, Curated by Joanna Parkin Villa Venetian, during Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami
Uprising, Video Art, collaboration for a giant screen projection for Robert Kupisz show, Warsaw
Showroom, curated by Marcus Bowerman, Metropolitan Works, London
Idea of Worship, Clifford Chance Collection, London. Curated by Michael Petry, Royal Academy and Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), London
CutOut, Curated by Yu’an Bu, Sothebys Institute of Art, London - 2010 Icons, Group show with Grayson Perry, Chris Ofili, Peter Doig, Elmgreen and Dragset. Patron – Victoria Miro, Victoria Miro Gallery. Curated by Eiko Honda and James Putnam, London
Safe Haven, Curated by Rupert Record, Brunswick centre, London
Wicked, curated by Sydney Southam. Work featured in Saatchi Gallery report, Hackney Wicked Art Festival, London
Blasphemy, curated by Alix Marie, Helene Butler and Flow Valmont, Barcelona
Close But No Cigar, curated by David Gryn, Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), London
BillBored, curated by Josef Valentino, Tate Modern, Liverpool Street station, Shoreditch, Southbank and Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Pollocks, London - 2009 ANK, group show with Anthony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Wolfgang Tillmans curated by Katy Dawe, London
Name Portable, by Patrick Brill (Bob and Roberta Smith) and Ben Cain, Hales Gallery, London
Art Art Art Gallery, Commission for Matt Roberts Arts Foundation, London - 2008 Communication:Live, site-specific installation, Saatchi Gallery, London
- 2007 Empty, curated by Simon McAndrew and Bogna Chreptowicz, Da! Creative Space, London
- 2006 Gallery 43, curated by Simon McAndrew and Bogna Chreptowicz, London
- 2005 Co-founder of DA! Art Movement, London
- 2004 PECS, International Youth Festival, Hungary, Pecs
Education
- 2011-2008 Fine Arts, Sir John Cass Art department at London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom
- 2006-2004 Fine Art Paintings, Westminster University, London, United Kingdom
- 2004-2001 Art Historyand Technology of Fine arts. Collage Fine Art Technologies and Visualization Movie and Theatre, Warsaw, Poland
Collections
Work of Konrad Wyrebek has been exhibited internationally in leading museums and institutions, and is included in many exciting private collections, among others:
– Marieke and Pieter Sanders Collection (Denmark / Netherlands http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/blogs/all-blogs/sotheby-s-magazine–december—january-2016/2015/11/going-on-instinct-sanders-profile.html)
– Mels Crouwel Collection (Netherlands http://benthemcrouwel.com/ )
– Hugo and Carla Brown Collection (United Kingdom / Netherlands),
– Maria Larsson Collection (Switzerland http://www.theartgorgeous.com/style-talk-maria-larsson/)
– Roland Schmid Collection (Austria)
– Lija Rodolfo Groenewoud van Vliet Collection (Netherlands, www.in4art.eu)
– Luuk Schotsman Collection (Netherlands, https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/)
– Patrik Šimon and Ivana Valkusová Collection (Czech RP)
– Anthony Cheung Collection (China)
– Charlie Parsons Collection (United Kingdom)
– Jonathan Wilmot Collection (United Kingdom, http://www.restorationhouse.co.uk/)
– Robert Kupisz Collection (Poland)
– Beth Ditto Collection (United States)
– Vaclav Dejcmar Collection (Czech RP www.dox.cz/en/)
– William Zhao Collection, (China, https://ocula.com/magazine/conversations/william-zhou/)
and many others.
Prizes and Awards / Scholarships
Sir John Cass Sculpture Prize, London
John Burn – Sponsorship Award – 3D printing
Metropolitan Works – Sponsorship Award – Rapid Prototyping
Large Scale C-type Commission for Matt Roberts Arts Foundation
