Through the eyes of an artist. Meeting with Michał Sroka

November 22, 2025, 12.00

What responsibilities do artists have outside of their creative work? How does one make their debut in the art world and enter into dialogue with it? Michał Sroka, author of a sculpture inspired by the work of Constantin Brâncuși, will talk about this, as well as the social reception of works of art, building context for them, and creating new places to present them.

We invite you to a meeting in the exhibition space “Brâncuși. Sculpting with Light,” during which Michał Sroka will talk about how contemporary artists find their place in the art world and what their daily work looks like beyond the creative process itself. The artist will discuss the responsibilities of artists involved in organizing exhibitions, arranging displays, and collaborating with cultural institutions. The conversation will also touch on the role of the artist in creating scenography, ways of building the context of a work, and how art functions and is perceived in society and in the artistic community.

The meeting with Michał Sroka will also be an opportunity to discuss how young artists seek space for their work, how they make their debut, enter into dialogue with the art world, and create new venues for presenting their work.

We will talk in front of Michał Sroka's sculpture inspired by the work of Constantin Brâncuși and presented at the Romanian artist's exhibition at the MCK Gallery. Striving to reduce form, the artist used prefabricated steel modules from ventilation systems instead of classic materials. By depriving the object of its functional purpose, he gave it new meaning. The play of light and shadow plays an important role in his sculpture, reminiscent of Brâncuși's photographs – the steel reflects light, diffuses the contours, and creates an impression of movement.

Michał Sroka – visual artist, architect, assistant to Prof. Grzegorz Sztwiertnia at the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He works in painting, drawing, photography, architectural design, and creates installations and sculptures, combining various media. He is interested in the relationships between painting, architecture, sculpture, and space. Since 2018, he has been running his own studio, “Painting in Expanded Space.” His works have been exhibited in Poland and abroad. He has also co-organized and coordinated international art projects. Since 2021, he has been collaborating with Filip Rybkowski and Michał Zawada on an artist-run space called Galeria Piana.

Practical information:

• Venue: MCK Gallery, Rynek Główny 25
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Registration required via the Evenea website
• Cost: PLN 10
• More information: +48 12 42 42 860, e-mail: a.klejzerowicz@mck.krakow.pl

The meeting accompanies the exhibition “Brâncuși. Sculpting with Light”.

The exhibition is co-organized by the International Cultural Centre in Krakow and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Warsaw.

The event is organised as part of the Romania–Poland Cultural Season 2024–2025.

The Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024–2025 is organised by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Institute of Culture, together with the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest. During the season, several dozen events will take place, including exhibitions, music, theatre, film and literary events.