Bio


Malgorzata Dawidek. Photo by Maciej Zakrzewski.
Małgorzata Dawidek               Photo by Maciej Zakrzewski
Małgorzata Dawidek is a visual artist, writer and art historian. Her artistic and academic interests cover the visual arts, literature and certain medical matters. Dawidek’s practice is focused on the conflict between the condition of the human body and discursive language. It addresses aspects of representations of the ill female body in the history of art and literature, and the expression of experiences of isolation, anxiety, loss and pain. Creating a space for potentiality and positive categories in the field of boundary experiences Małgorzata develops her own concepts of bodygraphy and affective art practice.
In her work, she combines a wide range of media encompassing performance, photographs, video, written drawings, textual objects and installations.
She also collaborates with other artists, writers, academics and institutes.
The theoretical framework of her art aligns with postmodern theories of performative corporeality, and studies on illness narratives, while her primary references are auto/biographical studies.
Małgorzata also researches visual literature and is the author of ‘A Piece of Poetry’ (2012), and ‘A History of Visual Text. Poland, post-1967’ (2012) awarded by the Polish National Culture Centre’s prize for the best PhD dissertation (2010).
The numerous awards, grants, and scholarships she has received include the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage grants (2002, 2004, 2020), the Young Poland scholarship for young artists (2012), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant (2004-2005) and a British Federation of Women Graduates grant (2017-2018). Her works were selected for the Jerwood Drawing Prize (UK, 2016) and she won the Signature Art Prize (2020).
Małgorzata has also been selected for several artistic residences, namely, the Design Museum, Holon, Israel (2020); VARC, Northumberland, UK (2018); the Slade/UCL, London, UK (2016); Centrala Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2015); The Art House, Wakefield, UK (2014).
Since 1998, her articles, poems, and reproductions of her works have been published in various art and literary magazines, inc.: PRO ARTE (in the footer 1998-2000), Czas Kultury (in a footer 2002-2004), EXIT, RITA BAUM, HA! ART (cooperation with the magazine and publishing house since 2000) Zeszyty Artystyczne, Dyskurs, Gazeta Malarzy i Poetów, Autoportret, Opcje, Fragile, as well as in Journal of Artists Books and in exhibition catalogues.
Currently, Małgorzata has been conducting her PhD practice-led research at Slade School of Fine Arts/UCL.

Artistic statement
Education
Exhibitions
Grants and awards

CV
Portfolio 2016-2020