“You never know what’s really behind a beautiful face”

Luiza Poreda, 31 May 2021

Jacek Opała is a sculptor born in 1970 in Bolesławiec in Lower Silesia. His own works combine the harmony of an idealistic form with a combination of decorations, colors, accessories and distortions. The artist tries to capture emotions and an atmosphere of mystery in his works, and he likes to leave interpretations and guesses to the audience.

 

 

During the upcoming 52nd Auction of New Art , which will take place on Friday evening, June 11, 2021 at the Art in House Auction House, there will be an opportunity to bid one of Jacek Opała’s artworks – glass and clay sculpture entitled “Drop of Life”.

 

 

– While creating this work, I focused on the form and combination of clay with a glass element – as a visual experiment. I associate the form of drops with water, of course, but also with time. For decorations, I used stamps that are used in Bolesławiec ceramics on a daily basis – Jacek Opała tells us.

 

“Clay is a very grateful material”

As Jacek Opała says in an interview with Art in House, due to the place where he was born (i.e. in Bolesławiec), he “sucked the clay with his mother’s milk”. He started sculpting himself in 2009.

– Clay is a very grateful material for work, it forgives mistakes and gives great artistic possibilities. Different types of clays give the opportunity to obtain different effects and sizes of work. Besides staining, glazing is an endless garden of experiences. Each opening of the furnace is an adrenaline rush, because you never really know what will come out. Sometimes it’s a plus, sometimes it’s a minus, but i.a. I mean this adrenaline. I do what I like, I don’t have to do anything, I get a lot of joy in return – says Jacek Opała. 

 

The artist has also been creating metal castings for some time.

– I can do any size work in metal. The model is also made of clay, but here I can use virtually any material. What also i do. For the needs of the model for the casting mold, I do not have to worry about the size and complexity or the color. It is like developing the theme of form and size in relation to ceramics. And these works are indestructible, something that I leave in this world for ages. It can be different with ceramics – adds the artist.

 

As Jacek Opała says, in his head a thought is chasing a thought, and every moment spent may affect the final appearance of the work.

– I’m generally a classic enthusiast. Today’s technologies allow me, on one hand, to focus on the idealistic form, and on the other – to fly away into the world of surrealism and fantasy. I operate within the boundaries between striving for the most perfect workshop of form and closing the work of mystery, beauty and emotions. I want the work to have these visible features and at the same time leave room for final interpretation to the viewer – says the sculptor.

 

Femininity enchanted in clay

Jacek Opała does not limit his work to one subject, but he definitely likes sculpting women. As he says, the women’s topic is the most exciting for him.

– I think for most viewers as well. Women’s beauty is probably the strongest stimulus for us men. That is why I enjoy working on presenting these, sometimes seemingly insignificant nuances that are to be discovered by the viewer and understood by implication. For example, a slight smile that inspires reflection and various questions, such as: why is she smiling? I sincerely hope that this is what is cool for the viewer, and nice answers are starting to appear in their minds. To sum up, I sculpt mainly female motifs because they are the most stimulating and contain the most understatement and beauty. It’s like in life: you never know what is really behind a beautiful face – says Jacek Opała.

We invite you to visit Jacek Opała’s sculpture gallery at Art in House

We also invite you to the upcoming 52nd New Art Auction at the Art in House Auction House