Thanks so much for doing the Interview with Punk Globe. Can you tell the readers a bit about yourself?

My name is Piotr Grabowski, I'm a visual artist from Poland.


Where in Poland are you located?

I live in Warsaw now, but I came here 17 years ago from a smaller town where I had grown up.


At what age did you discover your talent in the arts?

It was a long process. I studied management and philosophy for 6 years, but I could hardly find any auto expression and self determination way in that area. In the meantime I'd been dazed by internet culture and hard electronics as new cyber visual and music set for rebel and vanguard punk minds. That's why I decided to start experiments with computer graphics. During that time I had some personal issues and all of that tends me to skew my life and join the Academy of Fine Arts.


I have read the term visual artist as a description of your artwork. Tell the readers about your specialty?

Hah, its just to tell apart meaning of the word. Everyone is an artist now so we have to precise that our main object is visual culture. Although I write texts, record sounds, perform, the point is always visual – in a form of installation of objects, videos, 3d animations and others composed in a space. In most of my works I try to link the language of virtual reality with real objects. I also work as freelance graphic designer and make some DIY projects like polE artzine.


Tell us about the art schools that you have attended?

I studied at Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw at the Graphic Department, as it was closest to my interests. I was fascinated by quick effects and wide potential of distribution with printed and cyber/virtual/electronic forms. For half a year I also studied at the ESAD in Porto, Portugal.


Is Poland as a country supportive of the arts?

We have a few strong public institutions and government bursaries programmes but it's hard to count on some exhibition opportunities or support on projects for a longer period of time. Several intriguing private galleries are located mostly in Warsaw but our private sector is not much interested in building art collections. Political climate has never been warm for contemporary art and that's why we don't have good overall infrastructure from art schools via market support to social protection for artists. In consequence artists cannot think forward, art criticism is impaired and audience is not prepared for reception of contemporary art.


Who are some of your influences?

I'm looking for influence rather in philosophy than in art. Deleuze and Guattari were important for me to understand a form of my art, Žižek expounded what I'm still looking for and Lem's novels were liable for spirit advance. However it's hackers scene, cyberpunk and Internet culture what influenced my art the most.


Do you have art shows in Poland? Have you ever traveled to other countries with your artwork?

Yes, at the very beginning of March in Warsaw I opened my individual exhibition „We Sucked Young Bone Marrow. Disperse Structure Management – Case Study: Kurzfield&Blackdom” at Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw has finished. I had individual and group shows in very different places – at always rookie art looking BWA Zielona Góra, one of the most important contemporary art galleries in the country CCA in Warsaw and Bunkier Sztuki Gallery in Cracow, young and thrilling Milosc Gallery in Torun, interesting Arsenal Gallery in Bialystok or in Lublin at the Open City, art in public space festival. I exhibited in Berlin, Köln and Prague and performed self-reliant actions in Warsaw, Porto in Portugal, Delphi in Greece, at hungarian-serbian border or Bahariya Oasis in Egypt. Not yet in America, haha.


Very impressive! How I first became aware of you was on the Punk Globe Facebook page. You sent me a banner you designed. Tell us about that design?

The main point of that is the typeface Nypel I've made inspired by straight and sharp punk music. It is drawn like with the knife on a wood. I used that kind of font as a mural in the part of the Anti-Lebanon art installation. Now I digitalize it and decided to share this piece of art with you..


Do you find social media a good way to share and showcase your artwork?

For sure it's the most effective and easiest way to show your artwork now. But in a case of material pieces, nothing can substitute live experience.


Do you have any Internet addresses you would like to share with Punk Globe readers?

Here you will find selected artworks:
http://piotrgrabowski.tumblr.com
Some graphic works are here:
https://www.behance.net/p875f
And feel free to mail me for artistic portfolio or to hire me as a freelance:
p@grbwsk.pl


What is in the works for the rest of 2016?

I will show my work at Centre for Contemporary Art Znaki Czasu in Torun. I'm also looking for an art residency opportunity to focus on my next projects.


Any words of wisdom for young artists who are just beginning to find their talent?

Hm, stay vigilant for border situations of your life?