Peter A. Barelkowski

Peter A. Barelkowski, born in Poland to a business family, always rebelled against their established codes. He began to experiment with painting in the 1970s and established his first studio in 1975.

His art education began with an MA from the University of Poznan and continued at Goldsmith College in Poland, Ontario College of Art in Toronto (1985–1988), and, less formally, at Camden Arts Centre, London, and through street performance in Norway during the late 1970s.

Barelkowski’s work is about human conditions such as isolation and alienation. Creating a paradox between his joyful colours and darker subject matter, his paintings attempt to play with our ideas surrounding sadness. As a form of subtle escapism, the figures in his paintings are depicted in a one-dimensional, cartoonish style with almost grotesque undertones. He has arrived at an artistic expression that is minimalist and almost naïve, with a deceptive visual simplicity. Identifying all his paintings as untitled, he refuses to guide viewers to his specific narrative. Instead, he invites them to construct their own. However one interprets his monochromatic canvases, one is always left in a contemplative state.

In 2015, Barelkowski won the Best in Show Award from the 2015 Ontario Society of Artists Members Exhibition. His paintings are held in private collections in Europe, the USA, and Canada. His studio is currently located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“Adapting a visual language of grotesque and satire, Barelkowski effectively confronts the rationalism of historical perspective with the absurdity of political powers that repeatedly throws humanity into the haunting dance macabre of war and annihilation. Although deriving from specific historical events, Barelkowski’s works convey a universal message that is uncomfortably actual when applied to contemporary history.”.