Anka Leśniak

Anka Leśniak is a Polish contemporary artist, born in Bielsko-Biała and educated in Łódź. She specialises in installation art, performance, video art and painting.

Leśniak is the managing editor of the Art and Documentation journal. She has presented her work in more than 80 individual and group exhibitions. The majority of her work concerns the history of women. The artist often conveys this theme through site-specific pieces.

Education In 2003 Leśniak received a degree in Art History at the University of Łódź, and then in 2004 received a diploma with honors from the Academy of Fine Arts (Faculty of Visual Education - currently Visual Arts). In 2011 Leśniak was awarded a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. In 2015 she received the Scholarship of President of Łódź. In 2016, she received the Cultural Scholarship of the City of Gdańsk and became a scholarship holder of the Contact Cultures and the Austrian Government as part of the Artists-in-Residence 2016 program in Vienna. In 2016 she was awarded a PhD in the field of fine arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia.

Scholarships / awards 2002

Scholarship in Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Stuttgart

2004

Diploma with honors. Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz

2011

Scholarship of Minister of Culture and National Heritage

2015

Scholarship of President of the City of Lodz for people involved in artistic creation and culture animation

2016

Scholarship KulturKontakt, Vienna, Austria and Scholarship Cultural Cities of Gdansk

Selected exhibitions and projects

Individual exhibitions 2005

AKTywistki Gallery In Blanco, BOK, Lodz AKTualności, Academic Hub of Creative Initiatives, Lodz

2007

Printemps czyli Wiosna w Domku Ogrodnika, initiative and video-art from the cycle Body Printing, Patio Art Center, Lodz Primavera czyli Wiosna w Gabinecie Grohmana, initiative from the cycle Body Printing Museum of the Artistic Books, Lodz Body Printing Studio STUDIO BWA, Wroclaw

2008

Body Printing - Installation from the series Presentations of contemporary art, Academic Center for Artistic Initiative, Lodz Piękne i BESTie multimedia project, Ateneum Gallery, Warsaw

2009

Nie o to chodzi, by złapać króliczka, lecz by gonić go, Patio Art Center, Lodz TOP Models, Studio Gallery, Palace of Culture, Warsaw

2010

Fading Traces, , /Fokus Łódź Biennale 2010/ Manhattan Gallery, Lodz Body of Art, Newest Art Gallery, Gorzów Wielkopolski Muzy Łodzi Kaliskiej, Atlas of Art, Łódź Body Printing Epicentrum, Epicentrum Gallery, Jastrzębie Zdrój

2011

Zarejestrowane, Galeria ON, Poznań Fading Traces, , Galeria ON, Poznań Fading Traces, , Lokal_30, Warszawa

2012

Zarejestrowane, Museum of Cinematography Lodz Zarejestrowane, Entropia Gallery, Wroclaw

2014

Taniec Bociana, as part of the project Relokacje, Bydgoszcz Wcielenia, BWA Olsztyn Herstory, meeting, demonstration of documentation, Gdnńsk City Gallery, Gdansk

2015

Invisible inVisible, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz Fifi Zastrow. Acta est fabula, installation in public space, ul. Jaracza 34, Lodz Michalina zuch dziewczyna, installation in public space, ul. Zachodnia 27A, Lodz Eugenia żeni się installation in public space, ul. Drukarska 2, Lodz

2016

Invisible inVisible / Niewidzialne Widzialnego, Gdansk City Gallery, Gdansk Zastrzegam sobie wyłączne posiadanie swego życia, installation inspired by a character Stanisława Przybyszewska, Plac Wałowy 13, Gdansk patRIOTki, XX1 Gallery, Warsaw

2017

INNE - Invisible inVisible / Niewidzialne Widzialnego, Wozownia Gallery, Toruń Dla Zofii / Kwiat dla Zofii, site-specific artwork in public space, Main Train Station in Leszno

Group exhibitions

2005

Yearbook 2004, exhibition of the best diplomas of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Central Museum of Textiles, Lodz International Film Festival Offensiva, Wroclaw Akt-Reaktywacja, exhibition of works by graduates of the Drawing and Painting Workshop ad. Włodzimierz Stelmaszczyk, Forum Gallery, Downtown Cultural Forum, Lodz

2006

Young Art Fair, project Ptasie Radio, Toruń II Artistic Meetings Aspekty: Pokolenie Porno, Bed Art - audiovisual project, Gallery of Young Promotion, BOK, Lodz Binary City Lodz - Warsaw, Manhattan Gallery, Lodz

2007

From Warsaw to Lodz, Manhattan Gallery, Lodz Homeless Gallery, Tolerance - Intolerance, Patio Art Center, Lodz Visual Education, a jubilee exhibition of the work of graduates of the Department of Visual Education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Museum of the City of Lodz Disenchantment, Project in urban space, BWA Zielona Góra

2008

Disenchantment - a continuous process, BWA Awangarda, Wroclaw Sexhibition, Creative Workshop Lubelska, Warsaw Prints for Peace, Gallery Lepoldo Carpinteyro de Relaciones Culturales, Monterrey, Mexico

2009

Passing Through, KunstPunkt, Berlin Art after hours, CSW Łaźnia, Gdansk 28 days, CCA Łaźnia Gdansk

2010

Metasurvival. Producers of contexts in the face of change, Gallery Spiż7, Gdansk International Art Workshops R.I.V.E.R., Provincia Ancona, Italy

2011

Registrations, Representations, and membership exhibition of the Art and Documentation Association, East Gallery, Lodz

2012

PAN ASIA - Performance Art Network Asia, Seoul, Korea Ja Lodzermensch, Manhattan Gallery, Lodz Transart Communication Festival, Koszyce, Slovakia Silesia Art Biennale Ephemeral Fixed. Ephemeral art - history documented. Ephemeral art in the Visegrad countries. Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz 2nd Member Exhibition of the Art and Documentation Association, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz

2013

Live Galleries, Wschodnia Gallery, Exchange Gallery. Lodz Networks since 1978. Maerz Kunstlervereinigung, Linz, Austria No Women No Art, Poznań. Podejrzana project in the urban space of Wild's veneration Name of the Father? Name of the Mother! exhibition of Polish and Korean artists, Gardener's House, Park Źródliska, Lodz 3rd Member Exhibition of the Art and Documentation Association, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz

2014

Dzieci z Fabryki / Reborn Babies, Play Poland Film Festival, Meow photography studios, Edinburgh, Scotland We+Our+Us, Bupyeong Arts Center, Incheon / Tongyeong Citizen's Centre, Tongyeong, South Korea Getto XXI, exhibition accompanying the celebration of the 70th anniversary of liquidation Litzmannstadt Getto, Monopolis, Lodz 4th Member Exhibition of the Art and Documentation Association, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz

2015

What do I have from a woman?, Visual Culture Research Center, Kijów, Ukraine Punkty Styczne, exhibition of PhD students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, The Baltic Sea Cultural Center, Center of St. John, Gdansk Rozpakować walizki/Koffer auspacken, Koelmann Höfe Factory, Frankfurt on the Oder, Germany V Wystawa członkowska Stowarzyszenia Sztuka i Dokumentacja, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz

2016

Transcultural Emancipation, Fluc, Vienna 6 Member Exhibition of the Art and Documentation Association, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz

2017

re_form OSTRALE BIENNALE, Drezno, Germany Weź Szminkę / Take a lipstick, performance as part of an experiment project FUNom, Wozownia Gallery, Toruń Kobiety, które siedzą w Łodzi, group exhibition FRAKCJA, Manhattan Transfer Gallery, Lodz

2018

Gniazdo / The Nest, Aula Gallery.Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk Tylko jeden dzień. Manifest Obceności performance of group FRAKCJA, Fashon House Limanka, Lodz 7 exhibition of members and members of the Art and Documentation Association, Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz