Past Residents
Past Resident2014: The Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Olaf Brzeski
Olaf Brzeski’s practice is rooted in surrealist visions, which he puts into life via film, three-dimensional sculptures and installations. His comments about his own works do not so much mirror his personal interpretation, but narrate fictional stories, illustrated in the artworks or, in fact, made believable through the existence of the latter. This is the way in which Brzeski generates new worlds and their inhabitants.
Olaf Brzeski, Dream - spontaneous combustion, 2008, Bone soot, polyurethane resin and ash, 70 4/5 x 59 x 37 2/5 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, Untitled (from the little orphans series), 2009, Cast iron, chair, 35 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, Out of love for a woman, 2012, Steel, bronze, oil, paint and wood, 118 1/8 x 118 1/8 x 177 1/8 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, The fall of the man i don't like, 2012, Painted steel, 106 1/3 x 137 3/4 x 82 2/3 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, Untitled (from the little orphans series), 2009, Cast iron, wood, glass and light, 82 2/3 x 35 1/2 x 51 1/5 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Matthew Hunt
Using diverse media and a ‘make do’ and ‘DIY’ philosophy, Matthew Hunt refuses to maintain a cohesive continuum and in turn continues to start again fresh each time he makes something. Taking self-effacement to a new level, Hunt fully admits to not being an Art Genius, of essentially being lost and not knowing what he’s doing. Yet he is driven by notions of freedom, social and political relevance and blind optimism. Pragmatics aside, Hunt navigates a difficult path of personal subjectivity and cultural objectivity. He disembowels both his past and current day-to-day life and charges it with a subtle and sometimes blunt social/cultural critique. He explores various knowledge systems and patterns evident in contemporary life, ranging from the nuances of the everyday to the complex negotiations of institutions and high culture. Much of his work is language based, and an internal and external dialogue, it is the residue of signs and of narrative. Hunt’s ‘project’ is a lonely one, one persons attempt to find something, something undefined. And it is this non-definition that allows for a prime site of discovery, linkage and potential togetherness.
Matthew Hunt (born 1967) has exhibited in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Indonesia and New Zealand. He has exhibited extensively in Australia and has received multiple Australia Council for the Arts and Western Australian Department for the Arts project and new work grants. Hunt has participated in residencies at Christophe Merian Foundation, Basel Switzerland; Artspace, Sydney and The International Art Space Kellerberrin Australia (IASKA). Hunt self-published an extensive monograph titled Backwater in 1996 and has been publishing zines on his work and writing with Dr Robert Cook since. Hunt lives and works in London.
Matthew Hunt, The Stack, 2013, Watercolor, gouache and oil paint on plywood and pine, Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Matthew Hunt, The Escort, 2012, Dyptych on scraperboard, 24 x 39 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Matthew Hunt, Close Encounters, 2012, Pine structure, fluorescent light, concrete, books, paper mache, found wood, T-shirt, 94 1/2 x 118 x 106 1/3 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Matthew Hunt, Diamond Face, 2012, Watercolor on arches paper, 17 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Matthew Hunt, MySpace (After Kelly), 2012, Scraperboard, 11 x 9 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Past Resident2013: Foundation for a Civil Society
Veli & Amos
Veli & Amos is a Slovenian-Swiss artist duo, based between Ljubljana and Zürich. Their work uses language, codes and the energy of graffiti and activism to draw attention to problems and borders of our present-day reality. They research public space, squats and demonstrations, where they adapt their knowledge into a site-specific art practice. With public art, art on the Internet or art inside the gallery, they deal with how to transform site.
Veli Silver (born 1983, Banja Luka) studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Porto. Amos Angeles (born 1986, Zurich) studied Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich and finished his bachelor’s degree at the Zurich University of the Arts. Veli and Amos have been working as a duo since 2008. Their work has been shown at Museum of Contemporary, Ljubljana; Rotor Gallery, Graz; HVW8 Gallery, Los Angeles; P 74 Gallery, Ljubljana; Message salon, Zurich and W139, Amsterdam.
Veli & Amos, F is forever, 2013, Bands, string, paper, plastic, 471/4 × 313/16 in. (120.01 × 79.25 cm). Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Follow the Out Line, 2012, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Who the fuck is Luka Princic, 2013, Performance. Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Youtube, Let's Save the Whales International, Jew Box and Sheep, 2011, Mixed media, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Signed by Mana Ous Bah, 2012, Street signs, lights, print, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
