Arek Parasite (Pasożyt) – a Polish visual artist. He works at the intersection of socially engaged visual art, post-art, artivism, collectivism, and cultural animation. Arek Parasite’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in his personal background, including his origins in a farmer-worker class, an impoverished village, and a medium-sized Polish city. He combines these experiences with current socio-political themes to bring out alternative or repressed perspectives. He offers counter-narratives to the existing reality through a wide range of artistic media and means of expression.
In 2010, he formulated the ‘Manifesto of Parasitism’, which presents the idea of his activities as a parasite artist, thus referring critically to the artist’s status in society. In line with the ideas contained in the Manifesto, Arek Parasite lived and created by parasitising for four years in several cities in galleries, institutions and cultural venues. Over time, his activities evolved into so-called ‘host projects’. At the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, with the rise of street protests, he began to participate in them with ‘Striking Paintings’. He has created and exhibited in many locations in Poland and internationally.
More information on Parasitism in the Manifesto of Parasitism.
Arek Parasite is a PhD student at AAH UMK Toruń, Poland (supervisors: dr hab. Rafał Jakubowicz, prof. UAP; dr Mikołaj Iwański).
The list of selected exhibitions and projects.
Individual exhibitions:
2020 – ENOUGH! The striking exhibition on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of Polish women fight the electoral rights, public space, Toruń, PL
2016 – Blackthings, GAUNTLET Gallery, San Francisco, USA
2014 – Malineas O Roma!, Dům Pánů z Kunštátu, Brno, CZE
2009 – Ich liebe dich, Die Ballsaal Gallerie, Berlin, DE
2009 – I like CoCA only a little, GwLwP+KwCSW, CoCA Center of Contemporary Art, Toruń, PL
2009 – Blob, OFFicyna, Szczecin, PL
2008 – Arcy-master, Gallery for… (as a duo Thick Worst), Toruń, PL
Selected projects:
2017 – Sold, art residence in The Raczej Gallery, Poznań, PL
2016 – The Builder, Building As The Economic System: New Heat, Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, PL
2015-2016 – Painting Workshop „Not to be Rejected”, in cooperation with Dlaczego Pomagam Foundation, Elbląg, PL
2014-2015 – Painting Workshop „Not to be Rejected”, in cooperation with „Rewiry”, Lublin, PL
2014 – Social Parasitic Painting, Global Communication 2014, Brno, CZE
2013-2015 – HOME, living, building, action, work in a public space, Elbląg, PL
2012 – Willing to help, Aleksandrów Kuj. – Nowe Miasto Lub. – Warsaw – Gniew – Nowe – Grudziądz – Chełmno – Cracow, PL
2011 – Casting for a Female Parasite-Artist, BWA Wrocław, PL
2011 – I’m an artist, in front of the entrence of the most important art galleries in Poland, inter alia: Zachęta Warsaw, CoCA Warsaw, Galerry Bunkier Cracow, PGS Sopot, PL
2010-2014 – PARASITE, galleries / museums in: Toruń, Pszczyna, Chemnitz (Germany), Radom, Toruń, Wrocław, Gniezno, Aleksandrów Kujawski, Toruń, Cracow, Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, Warsaw, Poznań, Elbląg, Leitrim (Ireland), Stockholm (Sweden), Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Elbląg, PL
Group exhibitions:
2020 – Procesy, TIFF Festival – Czas wyjść, Złoty Kiosk, Wrocław, PL
2019 – 100 FLAG, Centralne Muzeum Włókiennictwa, Łódź, PL
2019 – Międzygatunkowy Pokój, Mieszkanie, Toruń, PL
2019 – “Rozbrat zostaje / XXV lecie”, Rozbrat, Poznań, PL
2018 – Najgorzej jest być bogatym przez chwilę, Henryk Gallery, Kraków, PL
2017 – Świat Należy Do Ciebie / The World Is Yours, Art Walk przy Warsaw Spire, Warszawa, PL
2017 – OSTRALE Biennale 2017, Dresden, DE
2017 – Again – another, Blask Brzask, Łódź, PL
2017 – The deeper into the forest, the more mushrooms, Wykwit, Wrocław, PL
2016 – Building As The Economic System: New Heat, curator: Marcin Zalewski, MCK, New Town Lub., PL
2015 – Wash, BWA Bydgoszcz, PL
2014 – Please call Stella, under LOCIS in Ireland, Sweden and Poland, CoCA Toruń, PL
2013 – Workers of The Artworld Unite, curator: Stanisław Ruksza, CSW Kronika, Bytom, PL
2013 – EPIDEMIC, curator: Piotr Lisowski, CoCA Toruń, PL
2013 – ?????, Awakening, curator: Karina Dzieweczyńska, Elbląg, PL
2012 – SESILUS, curators: Klara Kopcińska, Józef Żuk Piwkowski, Gniew – Nowe – Grudziądz – Chełmno, PL
2012 – No Budget Show, curator: Robert Kuśmirowski, MOCAK Cracow, PL
2012 – BMW/Art/Transformy/2012, National Opera, Warsaw, PL
2011 – Global Communication 2011, curator: Bartosz Łukasiewicz, MCSW Elektrownia, Radom, PL
2011 – Begehungen no8, Chemnitz, DE
2011 – Swindlers, Rascals, Parasites, curators: Patrycja Sikora, Piotr Stasiowski, BWA Wrocław, PL
2009 – Survival Art Review 7 (as a duo Thick Worst), Wrocław, PL
2008 – De immundo (as a duo Thick Worst), curator: Piotr Stasiowski, BWA Wrocław, PL
2008 – Survival Art Review 6 (as a duo Thick Worst), Wrocław, PL
Selected curatorial projects:
2014-2016 – Painting Workshop „Not to be Rejected”, a serie of seven shows curated and created together with people experiencing homelessness, Lublin, Elbląg, PL
2014 – Garden of Agricultural Sculpture, in collaboration with the youth who were building and working on the project: HOME, Elbląg, PL
2013 – Floot Trash Looters, exhibition in cooperation with Group over Vistula, co-curator: Marcin Zalewski, Gallery at Vistula, Toruń, PL
2012 – Integrative Exhibition, two exhibitions aimed at environmental integration,Gallery at Vistula, Toruń, PL
2011 – SOON, group exhibition, BWA Wrocław, PL
2011 – MY, a serie of nine exhibitions at that time parasitized Gallery at Vistula, Toruń, PL
2011 – Campers, two partisan exhibitions in CoCA, Toruń, PL
2010 – inSPIRACJA GLAMUR (as a duo Thick Worst), Szczecin, PL
2009 – Gallery Rouge Doupe (as a duo Thick Worst), LED screen in a public space, 9 exposures, Toruń, PL
2009 – Biennale Wenecja (as a duo Thick Worst), Wenecja k. Żnina, woj. Kujawsko-Pomorskie, PL
Awards and scholarships:
2022 – Scholarship of the Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in the field of Culture
2015 – Scholarship of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
2012 – Award in the competition BMW/ART/TRANSFORMY/2012
2011 – ARTLUK Contemporary Art Magazine’s Award for the project PARASITE in 2010
