Mateusz Kolek: Alone Together

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Curated by ZtoryTeller, the launch of Polish artist Mateusz Kolek’s first solo collection “Alone Together” and his solo exhibition “Alone Together 2022” Hong Kong will be held in Central LANDMARK BELOWGROUND from August 13 to August 28.

Mateusz Kolek, who grew up in Soviet-ruled Poland, has always loved movies directed by Wong Kar Wai. He was deeply attracted by the hustle and bustle of the Hong Kong metropolis. Hong Kong was a recurring theme of his works in the past;

“Alone Together 2022” Hong Kong is curated by ZtoryTeller, while “Alone Together 2022” Poland is curated by artist Mateusz Kolek and will be held in Krakow, Poland at the end of August. Through two simultaneous exhibitions, they embody the idea of Alone Together: despite being forced into isolation, Hong Kong and Poland can still be connected through art.

In 2019, Mateusz Kolek’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong titled “Alone Together” curated by ZtoryTeller was a big hit. The series “Things I’ve Seen But I Didn’t Have A Smartphone” documented his vision of a weird Hong Kong — Mateusz Kolek is used to traveling alone without a smartphone, and that made him a better observer, allowing him to focus on unraveling the city’s stories. Mateusz Kolek believes being alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely, and he loves to record the moments when “lonely” people come and go. That is “Alone Together”.

Three years later, ZtoryTeller and Mateusz co-published Mateusz’s first solo collection “Alone Together”, and held a solo exhibition “Alone Together 2022”. The exhibitions in 2019 and 2022 might share the same name, but the meaning is completely different.

In the face of the pandemic and the subsequent isolation between people, the world isn’t the same anymore. However, when everyone is in a state of isolation, we can still find new ways of connecting with each other. The last time when ZtoryTeller meet Mateusz was in Tokyo, while we were joining a group show there, and the world had been locked down after we left Tokyo. Matuesz’s first solo collection “Alone Together” included artworks of Hong Kong, Japan and Poland, and it also recorded the world before and after the giant change because of the pandemic.

Through Matuesz Kolek’s delicate observation and brushwork, we have the opportunity to re-examine the beauty of Hong Kong: in the eyes of Hong Kong people, some may seem ordinary, but in Matuesz’s eyes, it is as beautiful and breathtaking as a science-fiction movie. Each of Mateusz’s works reminds us that there is beauty in everything around us, just like there must be a way out of the darkest place.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Mateusz Kolek, born in 1981, based in Krakow, Poland. His work is known for playful, psychedelic and dreamlike style. Heavily influenced by his many journeys to Asia, anime, manga, medieval art, science fiction movies and Slavic legends. Traveled around the world before the pandemic, since he had to stay in Poland, he had a chance to focus on his first solo album “Alone Together”.