The artist became interested in a metalworking technique known since antiquity, although the term metalwork in contemporary art was first used in the 1920s.
“I never expected that I would start working with metal,” says Waldemar Cieślak. “I sculpted in wood, but an unexpected allergy to wood caused me to decide to work with other materials. Thanks to director Ewa Lijewska-Małachowksiej, I completed a welding course, which was essential for working with metal. Although I was not very keen to attend it, after finishing I discovered another passion of mine,” the artist adds.
Murals and set design
Waldemar Cieślak was previously known for his murals: at a school in Tomaszów and at a pizzeria in Tomaszów. His set-design works include copies of the Bolesławiec viaduct and town hall stairs, which could be admired during several editions of the Bolesławiec Mayor’s Awards ceremony. The artist’s unique works also included unconventional set-design ideas for performances staged at Forum: “Little Red Riding Hood in Bolesławiec,” featuring city councillors in 2016, as well as performances directed by Urszula Frąszczak-Matyjewicz and Halina Bałacka-Kłak.
Recycled jug
He is also known for his huge recycled jug—more than four metres tall—which has already opened the parade of people painted with clay at the Glina Show twice. The jug symbolises Joppe’s 1753 work, an attraction in pre-war Bolesławiec considered the largest pot in the world. Waldemar Cieślak’s jug, more than four metres tall, was made from recycled materials, including 440 mineral-water bottles. The artist wanted to draw attention to the importance of recycling in our lives. The artist’s family collected that many bottles by buying mineral water for a year. His work belongs to the Eco Art movement—recycling art intended to remind consumer society what it produces and how much it throws away. Well-known eco-artists include Jane Perkins, who creates replicas of famous paintings and celebrity portraits from waste, and Joava Kotik, who uses beverage caps in her work.
“Plastic was unknown in Joppe’s time,” explained Waldemar Cieślak, the author of the recycled jug made especially for the Glina Show parade. “Today, as people responsible for the environment, we should consider what we can do with waste. Recycling makes waste valuable and, instead of ending up in a landfill, transforms it into raw materials for producing new materials. That was my first thought when I built the jug for the Glina Show,” the artist adds.
Colourful houses for the ceramics festival
This is not Waldemar Cieślak’s only work that can be admired during the Bolesławiec Ceramics Festival. The wooden houses that delight visitors every summer during the ceramics fair were decorated by hand by Waldemar Cieślak and Tomasz Kaluzka. The artists created a small, colourful town with its own atmosphere. They decided that the houses would feature elements of traditional architecture found in Lower Silesia: brick, half-timbering, stone, sandstone and wooden beams. The houses, in joyful colours, attract attention. They create a new space and surprise visitors with details worth noticing. There are flowers and wild grapevines climbing the walls, painted clay pots, and small glazed windows closed with wooden shutters or opened wide.
Metal works
We encourage you to see Waldemar Cieślak’s recently completed metal works. They all decorate the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre – International Ceramics Centre. In the lobby of the building with the studios is his three-dimensional installation featuring floral elements. Near the entrance to the studios is a structure created jointly by the artist and young artists from the ceramics studio, combining metal and ceramics. In the centre’s garden are a sculpture of a man turning a jug and an installation featuring the Pegaz club logo.
