Andrzej Tobis
174 18 der Satanspilz / The Satan's mushroom
FSP ING 0157
The A–Z (Educational Cabinets) series is an artistic project in progress since November 2006. To date, Andrzej Tobis has collected and labelled several hundred photographs. The ever-expanding photograph series is an attempt at describing the world, naming phenomena and defining reality. Tobis found a formula and form for his endeavour in the first three editions of Bildwörterbuch Deutsch und Polnisch, an illustrated Polish-German dictionary from the mid-20th century. All entries are accompanied by photographs of Polish reality taken by the artist, none staged or photoshopped. The image/entry matches are surprising and amusing, with a hint at subversive irony, accurate illustrations as well as visual riddles. The photographic documentation Tobis has collected is in itself a record of changes to Polish landscape and mentality.
Title translations from Picture Vocabulary German and English with 181 black-and-white and 8 colour plates, Third Reprinted Edition (Leipzig: Veb Verlag Enzyklopädie, 1962).
Andrzej Tobis
b. 1970, Wieluń
Photographer, painter, teacher. He is a graphic arts graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, where he is now an associate professor. He refers to himself as a photographing observer and compares himself to a mythical inventor of a language, pointing to objects, naming them and creating meanings. He paints when taking a break from observing. His paintings usually allude to the symbolism of dreams, surrealist associations and juxtapositions. He has been working on a long-term project, A-Z (Educational Showcases), since 2006, with a focus on the connection between word and image. Winner of the 34th Bielsko-Biała Autumnal National Painting Competition in 1999. He lives and works in Katowice.
b. 1970, Wieluń
Photographer, painter, teacher. He is a graphic arts graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, where he is now an associate professor. He refers to himself as a photographing observer and compares himself to a mythical inventor of a language, pointing to objects, naming them and creating meanings. He paints when taking a break from observing. His paintings usually allude to the symbolism of dreams, surrealist associations and juxtapositions. He has been working on a long-term project, A-Z (Educational Showcases), since 2006, with a focus on the connection between word and image. Winner of the 34th Bielsko-Biała Autumnal National Painting Competition in 1999. He lives and works in Katowice.