Kacper Bożek (b.1974), Concentration of Memories, 1999

Etching, aquatint, dimensions: 36.5 x 50, 49.5 x 69.5 cm
Edition: 11/50 Signed p.d.: Kacper Bożek 1999

Kacper Bożek, was born in 1974 in Cracow, Poland. Graduated from Antoni Kenar High School of Fine Arts in Zakopane and the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. He completed his diploma work under the supervision of Prof. Stanisław Wejman in the studio of copperplate and lithography. He deals with printmaking and drawing. He uses such graphic techniques as etching, aquatint and mezzotint. The common feature of the graphics he creates is the creation of stories, multithreaded stories, without clear boundaries of beginning and end, but prompting more to individual search for meaning and sense. The artist is inspired by medieval times. His works are full of knights, dragons and beasts. He is also fascinated by vampires, hence in his works one feels a certain anxiety, fear, but also the macabre and the grotesque. Each of his works is carefully crafted and characterized by almost anatomical accuracy.
Bożek is also involved in creating ex-librises (miniature works of art whose style and repertoire of forms refer to full-format prints). His extraordinary talent and individual style have been repeatedly recognized. The artist has won such awards as the prestigious Leonardo Sciascia Prize Amateur d'Estampes in Milan in 2012, the Special Prize in the ZPAP "Graphics of the Month" competition in 2008, the Graphic of the Year and Grand Prix for "Milites Templi" in 2002, and the Creative Scholarship of the City of Cracow in 2003. In November 2013, he received his PhD for a series of prints dedicated to "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa" and the life of Jan Potocki. His works are in the collections of the Artotheque of the University of Zielona Gora Library and the Museum of Lubuska Land in Zielona Gora.