Opening reception: Thursday, June 13 at 6:00 PM
The exhibition will be on view
June 13 – October 13 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Docent-led tours approximately one hour in length: Wednesdays and Sundays, June 21–October 13, 12 PM. Private tours are available for 8–15 people.
Free with admission (unless otherwise noted for special events).
The Polish Cultural Institute NY is proud to announce Balance in Nature! Sculptures by Jerzy Kedziora. Bring your family and friends to the opening reception of this spectacular exhibition spanning the grounds of the historic landmark Old Westbury Gardens. Visitors will encounter art and nature through an enchanting and captivating experience. Kedziora’s balancing sculptures are unique for their ability to stay balanced and defy gravity despite being attached at only one or two points. Perched high above the ground and between trees, these whimsical figures playfully mask the technique’s serious origins.
For over half a century, Jerzy Jotka Kedziora’s life-sized public sculptures have expressed the Polish artist’s firm conviction that “Art must get out of museums and reach the people.” This show features works from a dozen or so years, including Kedziora’s world-acclaimed series of gravity-defying sculptures.
More recent works show solitary figures in open space that perform mime monodramas and pull off breathtaking acrobatic feats. The sculptures create energizing spectacles acted out between the sky and the earth (“Global Balances” in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, “Above the Line of Sight” in Berlin, “On the Trail of the Mage” in Oronsko, “The Spectacle in the Sky” in Lourdes).
Jerzy Kedziora has been awarded numerous prizes, presidential awards and honorable mentions in various exhibitions and competitions such as LICC in London, Representational Art in Madrid, or A Sculpture for the City in Lakeland. Since the 1990s, Kedziora has been working on a series of hanging sculptures of balancing figures. Among them is “The Confession,” which won one of Poland’s major sculpture competitions. His works can be found in museums, galleries and governmental institutions, including the Presidential Palace in Warsaw and diplomatic sites in the United States. Recently, the artist was a special guest at Art Basel Miami, ArtExpo New York, Art San Diego, Art Palm Beach, and the Art Biennale in Venice.
Old Westbury Gardens, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the former home of John S. Phipps, his wife Margarita Grace Phipps, and their four children. It was built in 1906 by the English designer, George A. Crawley. This magnificent Charles II-style mansion is nestled amid 200 acres of formal gardens, landscaped grounds, woodlands, ponds and lakes. Today, Old Westbury Gardens welcomes visitors of all ages for guided tours of Westbury House, in-depth tours of the formal gardens, children’s programs, museum exhibitions, Educator-led talks and tours of topics relating to horticulture, art, history, design and architecture, and more.
For more information, call Old Westbury Gardens: 516.333.0048 x301
The exhibition is organized by Old Westbury Gardens, in association with the Art & Balance Foundation of Poland, and with support of the Polish Cultural Institute NY. All sculptures ©Art&Balance Foundation. Photography is encouraged for personal use only.
