On April 24 this year we had the 130^th anniversary of birth of the most famous Polish naive painter next to Nikifor: Teofil Ociepka. This date became a pretext for organizing a retrospective exhibition reminiscent of the artist from the Janów district of Katowice.

Many legends circulate about the artist, which encourages us to recall his works and his influence on the perception of the phenomenon of non-professional art in Upper Silesia.

Ociepka’s work often arouses extreme emotions among art theorists and historians. For some it is a manifestation of kitsch, lack of technical skills or awareness of formal solutions; for others it is “charming” (if there is such a criterion in art), unpretentious and, above all, sincere – unencumbered by anything that could restrain the creative freedom of an educated artist.

Ociepka is fascinating. Perhaps the main reason for this is his esoteric interests. Perhaps many myths built around him – most likely inspired by the wonderful film by Lech Majewski, “Angelus”, a poetic (and, therefore, freely connected with facts) story about the circle of painters from Nikiszowiec.

The exhibition is a voice in the discussion about the painter and his work, about the reception and impact of Ociepka’s painting on Polish culture and about his place in the history of Polish art.

Curator: Sonia Wilk

April 23 – September 26, 2021

The Silesian Museum in Katowice

1 T. Dobrowolskiego St., the Gallery of Non-professional Visual Arts