Janusz Wrobel
In an act of seeing
Bio (short)
I had two fascinations in my teenage years: the composition of rocket fuels and the revealing quality of light. It propelled me to apply the medium of photography to art and science during my 10-year chemistry study. The art influenced the clarification of my sociopolitical views. I arrived in Canada with little more than my education, wife, child and Geneva Convention refugee passport. I gradually found the application for my creativity by starting or co-developing three businesses that created employment for many.
My return to art photography was an unintended consequence of my growing concern regarding the capacities of Ontario's ecology to sustain the ecological footprint expected by the ever-increasing human population.
Mission Statement
Photography is a mirror of intent. It reflects portrayed reality processed by the awareness of a photographer. Thus, it is a credible source of evidence documenting the evolution of both - the photographer's perceptions and recorded realities. That could help to understand the world better.
Artist's Statement
My thoughts of what Life is have taken hold in my mind long ago. It has been stimulating to confront what I see and understand with processes documented and analyzed by science. Especially in a world where truth changes with every button click. Putting faith in my own sensory system and the feedback of experiences is rewarding. It warrants more confidence in the footing of my mind.
I indulged my interests privately in the vast stretches of Ontario and around my Dundas home. Sharing my observations or conclusions verbally became gradually difficult. In conclusion, I communicated them to a broader audience, making numerous exhibitions in public and private galleries.
The world is rapidly changing. It's evident now that we must develop a shared understanding of our elemental needs. Our necessities always depended on the outcome of the interaction between Life's processes and the brutality of the physical world. Sometimes, all it takes is to look at something and think for a while. After all, the purpose of lives, ideas and beauties resides in the beholder's mind.
Process Statement
I use modern digital media informed by traditional photographic techniques, tools, and practices learned from years spent in darkrooms during my academic and professional career. This skill set allows me to select printing techniques and materials to portray my photographic subjects faithfully and ensure my work's archival quality.
Past Exhibitions – spec
2018 February An Aqueous Mind", exhibition, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas,
2015 May – Oct. “The Bruce & The Bay,” exhibition with Lorraine Roy, Circle Arts, Tobermory, ON
2015 January "Intermission," solo exhibition, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, Ontario
2014-15 Nov. - Jan. “An Aqueous State,” exhibition, Art Gallery of Burlington
2014 July-Aug. "Ebb & Flow," exhibition, Niagara Pumphouse Art Centre, Niagara-on-the-Lake
2014 June Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition
2013 May "Ebb & Flow," exhibition, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas
2013 April "Georgian Bay," exhibition, Rotunda Gallery, Kitchener
2013 February The Artist Project 2013, Exhibition Place, Toronto
2012 Sept-Oct. "In Full View," presentation at TAG Art Gallery, St. Catharines, ON
2012 March, The Artist Project Toronto 2012, Exhibition Place, Toronto
2011 May – June “Primal Encounters,” exhibition, Petroff Gallery, Toronto
2010 Nov-Jan. “Forces of Nature,” Juried Exhibition, Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Branford, ON
2010 July-Sept Canadian Landscape Juried Exhibition, Agnes Jamieson Gallery, Minden, ON
2010 Feb-March Janusz Wrobel & Floyd Elzinga, Petroff Gallery, Toronto
2010 March The Artist Project Toronto 2010
2010 January ”I Take My City Back” ongoing art project launched at The Print Studio, Hamilton, Ontario.
2009 March The Artist Project Toronto 2009
2008 Aug-Sept. The three-artist exhibition is at Petroff Gallery South, 334 Dundas Street W, Toronto.
2008 August “Ontario Unbound Series," exhibition, Carriage House Gallery, Midland, Ontario.
2008 July Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.
2008 June/July “Flow,” exhibition, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas.
2008 Janusz Wrobel & Lorraine Roy, Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, Ontario.
2007 “Naked and Unadorned” Carnegie Gallery, members exhibition.
2007 “Ontario Unbound” Janusz Wrobel, Jordan Art Gallery, Jordan, Ontario.
2006 “Sylvan Spirits” show, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario.
2005 Toronto Art Expo, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
2004-5 “Satin and Steel,” Janusz Wrobel & Lorraine Roy at Rebecca Gallery, Toronto, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario.
1972-76 “Format” Group exhibitions in Wroclaw, Warsaw, Brno, Dresden, Kyiv, World Triennial of Drawing 1974.
Past Gallery Representations
Davis Canadian Arts, Stratford, ON (2007 -17)
Petroff Gallery, Toronto, ON (2008-2014)
Circle Arts, Tobermory, ON (2007-17)
Main Street Gallery, Bayfield, ON (2010-18)
Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, ON (2007-18)