West Cork artist participating in PLATFORM 31

Visual Artist Tomasz Madajczak has been awarded Cork County Council’s PLATFORM 31 bursary. He is one 31 artists across Ireland awarded the €8,000 bursary to invest in their practice, participate in an advisory, developmental framework and be part of a peer network.

PLATFORM 31 is the nationwide artist development scheme created by the 31 Local Authority Arts Offices, in collaboration with the Arts Council.

Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley commented,

“For over thirty-five years Local Authority Arts Offices have worked directly with artists to ensure the arts thrive in all communities. Working in a grass roots and foundational way has allowed Cork County Council Arts Office to identify and respond to the needs of Cork artists, keeping the arts and cultural agenda relevant in changing environments. PLATFORM 31 recognises the central place in our culture occupied by creative artists. Artists help to bring meaning and new perspectives to our lives.”

After receiving his MA from the Fine Arts Academy Poznań in 2003, Tomasz emigrated from Poland to Ireland and now lives in West Cork. His art practice consists of photography, drawing, video and installation. He often collaborates with Irish and international artists and is an established figure in the Irish arts community. Tomasz has also exhibited in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Pakistan.

Madajczak’s current project, “No Space” will be the focus of his participation in PLATFORM 31. Starting in 2020 shortly after the pandemic began, it was initially supported by the Arts Council’s Covid-19 funding scheme. He invited artists and individuals to collaborate with him, where they shared the experience of spaces (physical and mental) and their specific nature.

The Platform 31 bursary and developmental programme will allow Tomasz’s project to evolve in a new direction, of land and connections with place and how this influences culture. For Madajczak, the pandemic has created a space for deep reflection and new ways of approaching his art practice and he hopes to share and move the project further through new collaborations, transcultural experiences and different approaches to art as an alternative language.

For further information contact Cork County Library and Arts Service at artsoffice@corkcoco.ie or 021 4285995.

Artwork image credit: Tomasz Madajczak