DEMENZ

        Michał Węgrzyn (DEMENZ) was born on 10.08.1989 in Wałbrzych, Poland. He graduated from The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. In 2014 earned a Master Degree of Painting Faculty under the direction of prof. Krzysztof Skarbek. Except painting in the studio and academic education he has experimented with large formats and street art forms in urban space. He has been taking part in local street-art jams and alternative artistic scene of Wrocław. As a result he finished a Master Degree in Painting Design in Architecture in prof. Wojciech Kaniowski studio.
        Both traditional painting and street art fields have had an influence on searching for his own expression. He adopted street-art tools like aerosol paints and stencil into his canvas works. He is using street-related tools in specific way, as a new medium mixed into classical brush-painting. The main theme of his works revolves around figurative city motives and architecture. Demenz has been trying to depict dynamic processes going on throughout urban landscape by transferring them into analogical art forms on canvas. The human element is also a substantial part of his paintings, a meaningful contrast to lifeless shapes of buildings.
        He cooperated with Gdańsk School of Mural and project coordinators from The Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Demenz made several wall-paintings in collaboration with other artists and individually created mural dedicated to 70th anniversary of The National Armed Forces. Thanks to gained experience he was able to create an award-winning project of wall painting for international contest entitled "The Gate to Nadodrze". Nadodrze is a revitalized historical district of Wroclaw city. The contest was run in 2013 as a project of European Capitals of Culture. In the same year he was rewarded with artistic grant of President of Wroclaw for artistic achievements.
        For several years Demenz has actively taken part in experimental artistic initiatives. They were oriented at street art and installation in different spaces – galleries, post-industrial spaces, abandoned buildings. Created site-specific objects were directly related to his paintings. The goal was to transform two-dimensional aesthetics into three-dimensional physical forms.
        In the next years Demenz worked professionally with creative agencies,festivals, museums and cultural institutions. He made murals for Brave Festival (an ethnic festival of endangered cultures), Techfest (science festival in Bombay). He was also commissioned to make wall paintings in several historical exhibitions in cultural institiutions.
        In 2016 he was selected to take part in exhibition in Berlin "Breslau/Wroclaw. Gesichter einer Stadt: Faces of the city”. He was asked to tell about his personal perception of life in Wrocław. Presentation involved an interview and photo documentation.
        His works were exhibited in several cities in Poland, canvas works are in private collections in Poland and abroad.