"The label “objects” is the most appropriate for works which elude clear-cut definitions. Foam sponge, builders silicone, packaging tape etc. are the main materials which I use to create these works. Sometimes, because of the properties of some of the materials which they are made of they have a limited span of existence. But often the roughness and imperfections become make them artistically strong."
Tomasz Jerzy Vetulani is a Polish painter, drawer and sculptor. Born and educated in Kraków, he moved to Utrecht in 1991, and he has been active there since, holding also a citizenship of the Netherlands. In his works, using among others silicone and sponge, he includes both personal references and comments on current political and social issues.
"I love what Ive learned from my parents, and what I continue here [in the Netherlands] – wandering, Sunday trips out of the town, mindfulness with which you can look at plants and animals. I am not interested in that professionally and I have no ambition to classify flora and fauna, but with enthusiasm I profess my amateur love for nature. Light, air, clouds, landscapes only seem harsh. A lot of beauty can be found in this rawness."
"I have a need to create works that are not just shocking, or say: striking, smashing – but also such works that can become companions of my various life events, and become companions of other people in their situations. These are the works that I create from the deep need to communicate with my sense and my ideal of beauty."
"Art is just like the languages that people use: each one opens up different possibilities, different layers of sensitivity and expression."
"In Poland, many doctors would not undertake euthanasia due to religious beliefs. The Dutch are more pragmatic, and death is not a great taboo for them, but part of the natural order of things."
"The illusionary nature of a two dimensional work of art can sometimes frustrate my creative process. I overcome this by stepping out of the flat illusion into the three dimensional and create sculptures of wood and bronze."
"I was recognizable in Kraków because of my family. I felt it as a burden. I tried to cut myself off from the past and build something myself. To become independent."