Design Needs Art. Art of Jarosław Bikiewicz

Can a work of art watch us? What could a biomorphic city sculpture that records weather parameters or provides information look like? What could be the result of merging art and industrial design? 

The artist and designer Jarosław Bikiewicz, whose art combines both of the above-mentioned disciplines, seeks answers to these questions. He graduated from the studios of Jarosław Kozakiewicz (from which he minored in sculpture), Grzegorz Kowalski (studio of sculpture), and Tomek Rygalik and Grzegorz Niwiński (from which he majored in industrial design) at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. The artist is the author of an unusual artistic concept, which he calls "Botism", and we would like to present you with his sculpture "Kompozycja technologiczna 01" ["Technological Composition 01"] at the auction "Rzeźba kameralna" ["Small Sculpture"]. 

This small-scale work was made of lacquered ceramics, which often act as an artistic camouflage for various technological solutions. It's a part of the "Artin" series of sculptures, which is a result of the research on relations between aesthetics, utility, and technological solutions concealed in artistic objects. The consequent sculptures act as camouflage for technological solutions, providing ideas for a new type of case. On the verge of sculpture and design, the artist asks questions about how the processes of designing and creating art are combined. Manual shaping of the mold, which entails removing material rather than adding it to a larger whole, is the basis of his approach, which advocates returning to natural, biomorphic shapes. Indeed, his objects, similar to the items presented at the auction, are small and fit into the human hand in an organic way. 

The sculpture "Technological Composition 01" can accommodate electronic components while also being aesthetically pleasing and pleasant to the touch. In this way, utility and aesthetic function are combined. It appears to be a promising solution in light of the declining number of homes and the rising number of household objects. Combining functions and developing cases with collector value, which extends the period of use and protects the environment, are very prospective solutions with great potential for development. 

Bikiewicz is an extremely interesting artist who introduced the word "Botism" to the artistic glossary. The terms refer to "bots", software that helps people out in many activities and is good at imitating human behavior. The artist defines "botism" as artistic statements in a variety of creative disciplines (literature, architecture, and design) with the intention of foreseeing and depicting the inevitable evolution at both civilizational and individual levels. These predictions are based on data from international research organizations, national statistics, media message analysis, and, in particular, multilevel observation of complex human reactions at the time of the digital revolution. Geopolitical issues, such as urban overcrowding, uncontrolled population growth, global migration, and the depletion of natural resources, are the most significant issues that can be the subject of an artistic process. In this way, art serves as a solution to contemporary issues. This idea is obviously not new. It does fit into the search of artists like Krzysztof Wodiczko, who wrote in his 1971 "Art and Civilization" that:

"Artists create the human environment, often in cooperation with specialists: engineers, scientists, etc. In addition, by co-creating with others, artists might uncover new or neglected needs that are invisible to people working in other creative fields. And this is how I understand the role of the artist – as the defendant of the natural human environment."

In addition to his sculptures, Bikiewicz is the creator of other intriguing solutions, such as a raincoat that serves as a plant-breeding device or tablecloths that feature artwork prints, currently used in a restaurant in Łódź. He is an intriguingly talented artist who blends genres and freely moves between styles while also having a keen awareness of materials and interesting technological advancements.