Janusz Wrobel

Janusz Wrobel - Photographer

For four decades, professional art photographer Janusz Wrobel honed his skills in isolating the pure essence of scenery and objects. This approach earned him a major international award and his images have been used in publications across four continents. By extracting key elements in Ontario's wild landscapes, he exposes underlying processes that build these environments. A long time adventure traveler, he presents the “big picture”: large, immaculately composed images, each with complex and intertwining story lines.

Artist Statement

Landscape photography is not about the art of seeing but more about the art of experiencing. I take time to study and identify the relationships of all key elements. By the time I arrive at a personal perspective I have become a part of the picture.

Since childhood I have been attracted to wild places. In my definition, “wild” equally encompasses a ravine in my neighborhood, and the depth of northern boreal forest. It is a space where my brain and instincts interact with my surroundings on a distinct wavelength, liberating senses disconnected from daily life. It's an ever-changing stage where I am both the player and the only audience. I document these stage sets using the dynamics of space, time, and storytelling narrative. I aim for a compelling portrait of lands in Ontario, one story at a time, supported by the credibility of my medium.

Bio

Born In 1951, Poland. M. Sc. in Technology of Photographic Materials, 1975.
Co-founding member of “Format” Art Group, 72-75. Artistic Commissioner of Wroclaw Photographic Society, 73-75. Associated photographer at 4 International Jazz Festivals and International Open Theatre Festivals 72-75.
Manager and co-owner of professional photography studios and processing labs, Poland, 1976-81.
Production manager of large commercial photography studio and photo processing plant in Mississauga, Ontario, 1983-94.
Owner and manager of PhotoDot, a company involved in digital product photography and catalogue production, Mississauga, 1995-05.
Lives in Dundas, Ontario, where he shares Hillcrest Studio with his wife and professional textile artist, Lorraine Roy.

Past Exhibitions

Representational and conceptual works shown in 1968-76. Numerous “Format” Art Group touring public exhibitions of work in Wroclaw, Warsaw, Dresden, Kiev, Brno, Geneva 1972-75. International Drawing Triennial in Wroclaw, Poland, 1974.

Recent Exhibitions

Janusz Wrobel & Lorraine Roy, Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts
Jan-Feb 2008
“Ontario Unbound” Jordan Art Gallery, Jordan, Ontario, March 2007
“Naked and Unadorned”, group show, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, Sept 2007
“Satin and Steel”, a two-person exhibition with Lorraine Roy, 2004-5
Rebecca Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario

Grimsby Art Gallery Juried Exhibition, Grimsby, Ontario, 2004

Homer Watson House and Gallery Juried Exhibition, Kitchener, Ontario, 2004

‘Sylvan Spirits’: Three Artists, Homer Watson House and Gallery Kitchener, Ontario, 2004

“Out of the Woods”, a two-person exhibition with Lorraine Roy, Greenwood Gallery, Guelph, 2004

Confirmed Exhibitions

Janusz Wrobel “Flow”, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas - July 2008
“Ontario Unbound”, The Carriage House Gallery, Midland, Ontario - August 1 to 24, 2008

Grants and Awards and Interviews

“International Photography Awards 2004" 2nd Prize, Nature/Tree category.
Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant, 2004
Interview on CBC Radio “Fresh Air”, Satin and Steel Exhibition, October 2004
Rogers Cable TV interview, York Region, Ontario, February 2005

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