Agata Materowicz

Agata Materowicz (born 1963) is a modern Polish artist, painter, FIMO figurines designer and hand-maker photographer, science writer, graphic designer, ceramics sculptures designer and maker, glass and terra cotta painter, drawer, book illustrator. She completed her Master of Arts at Academy of Fine Arts In Łódź Poland; she has completed Degree in Computer Art. Graphic Design - WSInf, Łódź, Diploma of Architecture, Diploma of Marketing, Diploma of Landscape Architecture and Web design Courses organized by Mac. Materowicz's work was featured in some newspapers: Zycie Warszawy,  Tygodnik Ciechanowski,  Gazeta Echo. She has won a number of arts competitions and awards including, as a child, the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition, New Delhi(1979), logo competition in USA (1987), a couple of competitions in Poland- Award Gallery Cobro ( Strzeminski Competition),    My way of seeing Warsaw. One of her photo was promoted the city of Warsaw on billboards (2007). She was also the chairman of Music Club Anna Jantar “Bursztyn”.



Early life
Materowicz was born and grew up in Warsaw. She showed her an extremely artistic talent since her childhood. She has had a passion for drawing and painting from a very young age. As a 4– 5 years old child, while the other were playing on the local playground, she was copying from Encyclopaedia picture after the picture. Her work was amazing, so the local school teacher asked her family to let her attend art classes. In 1979, as a 16 years old teenager she sent her painting for the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition, New Delhi, India. Materowicz has won a silver medal and received an invitation to collect her award in India. As a young girl coming from a communism country she couldn't afford to buy a ticket to India. At that time the Polish government didn't support young, talented children, like Materowicz, so Materowicz collected her award at Indian Embassy in Warsaw. Even after so many years if you ask Materowicz about her missed opportunity to go and collect her award in India, she gets tears in her eyes.,

Career
In an early 1983 she received her first block of polymer clay. It was a white modurit from the Czech Republic. Materowicz has made her first little figurines. She needed to paint them using an acrylic paints. When she stayed for holiday in Slany and Prague she has made a few dozens of figurines and she painted frescos on the holiday home walls. In 1983 Materowicz attended school and studied architecture. Then she moved to Ciechanow and studied advertisement at the local collage. While she was studying Materowicz was working for Tygodnik Ciechanowski as a photograph. During that time she had her first solo exhibition - 'Fimo World of Agata Materowicz” Cultural Centre in Ciechanow (1987) In 1983 Agata Materowicz with her friend Zbyszek Rostkowski created the Music Club Anna Jantar "Bursztyn”. For the use of the Club, Materowicz designed her first ever logo. During her years as the Club Chairman, which in 1985 had 1600 members in whole Poland, she organised concerts, artists events and evenings, exhibitions, and etc.  Her major exhibition was in 1984 exhibition at the Students Club „Stodola” - Warsaw , "Anna Jantar- First Step- Last Step”. From Warsaw the exibition moved to Poznan, Lodz and Lublin. In 1991 Agata created the Old Town of Warsaw Artists Association and she became the first Leader of the Group. In a same year she illustrated prof Sieradzka book: "Cloak, train dress, peaked for-pointed cap: art and fashion in Polish Modernism", published by Ossolineum. In 1994 Materowicz joined the group of artists, including Eryk Lipinski exhibition at Museum of Caricature, Warsaw “Advent Sets” presents Holy Family Set in 1997 she was the artistic director of Polish Art and Handicrafts Exhibition - Trade Formex '98 in Stockholm

In the next few years Materowicz joined a number of group photographic exhibitions " Remember the Summer", Warsaw; "Janow Podlaski” - Ermitaż w Warszawie, "Mokotow” - Warsaw, Honorable Price; "The Four Eyes" - Gallery „Ogrod” - Jablonna in 2007 Group Photo Competition:" My way of seeing Warsaw”- Laureate. Materowicz was also teaching photography at school in 2008. Next year she won VideSupra competition for the best advertising campaigns and promotional materials. Years before Materowicz prepared advertising campaigns for "Evergreen, Cro-Trade Poland, Danapol Trading – Sweden. In 2010 Materowicz wrote scientific research article “Examples of copyright infringement by daily newspaper Zycie Warszawy” which was published in “Ethics in the media vol.7: World standards vice everyday life”. In 2012, while studying Master of Arts, her oil painting: Pillow, was awarded by Kobro Gallery of Art in 29 Strzeminskiego Competition at ASP Lodz. Materowicz's work has been displayed in the International Art & Documentation Festival in Lodz, April 2013., Same year A.Materowicz made documentation and created catalogue of the international project "Me, Here and Now" Lodz-Milano, organised and led by prof. Jolanta Wagner (Faculty of Visual Arts in Lodz Academy of Fine Arts). On this project exhibition, Materowicz presented her own designed and created FIMO alter ego puppet, who was the major attraction of the group and witnessed all events She also displayed her other works, including: The Last Supper. Agata Materowicz has received the following Art Scholarships for her outstanding achievements: from the  Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education for the academic year 2012/2013, from the Marshal  of Lodz  Region in 2013, from the Rector of Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź in 2012.

In her career years Materowicz has made a hundred of caricatures including caricatures of 2 Polish presidents: Lech Wałęsa and   Aleksander Kwasniewski, Pope John Paul II,  Eleni Tzoka- singer,  Natalia Kukulska- singer,  Jaroslaw Kukulski- compositor,   Krystyna Sienkiewicz- an actress , Jan Pietrzak- an actor , Kabaret OT.TO,  Arkadiusz Nowak- priest

Articles and Scientific Publications

 * Agata Materowicz, the article: "A Puff of Absurdity, TVN Warsaw, 2011, Retrieved 10 June 2013
 * Agata Materowicz, "Examples of copyright infringement by daily newspaper Zycie Warszawy" published in “Ethics in the media vol.7: World standards vice everyday life" by Scriptorium, 2010. ISBN 978-83-62625-02-4

Children Books
PEAS figurines, arrangements and photos made by A.Materowicz for the following books series:
 * Agata Materowicz: "Mushroom Dreams”, published by A.M.Design, 2010, ISBN 978-83-62624-02-4
 * “Peas and forest animals”, 2002, ISBN 83-7341-706-0
 * “Peas around wild animals”, 2002, ISBN 83-7341-708-7
 * “Peas and country animals”, 2001, ISBN 83-7212-757-3
 * “Peas discovers wild animals”, 2000, ISBN 83-7341-707-9
 * “Peas - kindergarten children's first book”, 2000, ISBN 83-7312-395-0

Other Books
drawings by Agata Materowicz
 * Anna Sieradzka: "Cloak, train dress, peaked for-pointed cap: art and fashion in Polish Modernism", Ossolineum, 1991, ISBN 8304024535, ISBN 9788304024533

Art Catalogues

 * A.Materowicz-coauthor “Strzeminski 2012 - Creative Arts and Design”, 2012, ISBN 978-83-63141-09-7
 * Agata Materowicz “Me, Here and Now”, 2013, ISBN 978-83-63141-17-2

Art Galleries Display Materowicz Arts

 * Kobro Gallery of Art, Lodz
 * Gallery: Free Space, Lodz

Other References

 * Dzbenska-Karpinska Marta. “Mothers- brave or crazy”, Published by Centrum Mysli Jana Pawla II, 2012, ISBN 978-83-60853-22-1
 * Official website
 * Shankar’s International Children’s Competition, Delhi
 * Anna Sieradzka: "Cloak, train dress, peaked for-pointed cap: art and fashion in Polish Modernism", Ossolineum, 1991, ISBN 8304024535, ISBN 9788304024533
 * List of Polish Artists
 * In Memory of Anna Jantar
 * Tygodnik Ciechanowski
 * Agata Materowicz on World Photography Organisation
 * Materowicz's solo photo exhibition in Warsaw-Bemowo, Gazeta Echo, 25 Maj 2007
 * Video interview with Agata Materowicz by TV Polsat -Teleepress
 * Materowicz artwork:I dont give up ArtInfo,2012
 * Video interview with Agata Materowicz, TV WOT
 * Video interview with Agata Materowicz, EMI DVD-"Small Handful of Life" memories of Anna Jantar and Jaroslaw Kukulski January 2013
 * A.Materowicz photo/promotional material Dziennik Lodzki, 4 April 2013
 * Warsaw Guest, page 8, Gosc Warszawski Retrieved 17 June 2013