Jacek Yerka

He specialized in graphics. During his studies, he took part in many competitions dedicated to poster art, including those on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Polish Hunting Association (1st prize), the so-called Renaissance Day (1st prize), the Olympic Games in Toronto, the 50th anniversary of LOT, or advertising "Społem".

Shortly after receiving his diploma, he won the 3rd prize at the Polish Poster Biennale in Katowice (1979). At that time, he also appeared on the international stage. In 1978, he won the competition "Palestine - homeland denied" organized by the Iraqi Cultural Center in London, and a year later for a poster promoting the development of public transport in Milan.

His works were exhibited at the International Sports Biennale in Barcelona (1980, 3rd prize), the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw (1981, 3rd prize) and the Poster Biennale in Lahti (1983, 3rd prize). In the initial period of his career, the artist rarely created paintings, including for the Jan Spychalski Painting Competition in Poznań (3rd prize twice). After 1980, he abandoned poster art and devoted himself entirely to painting. Based on a precise imaging technique modeled on the old masters (Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch), but above all on his own imagination that knows no bounds, he creates surreal compositions, particularly admired by fans of fantasy in all its varieties. He inspired, among others, the fantasy author Harlan Ellison to write 30 short stories, which, together with the artist's paintings, made up the publication entitled "Mind Fields" awarded the 1995 World Fantasy Award. The album's success resulted in an exhibition at the Morpheus Gallery in Beverly Hills in 1998. The same publishing house - "Morpheus International" - released the album "The Fantastic Art of Jacek Yerka". The artist also collaborated on the production of an American film entitled "Strawberry Fields", where the paintings were to be accompanied by the music of the Beatles. The artist's works - a valued representative of the fantasy genre - are found in many Polish and foreign private collections. Jacek Yerka's exhibitions took place abroad (including at the Hela Nebelung Galerie in Düsseldorf in 1983) and in Poland – at the OdNowa Gallery in Poznań (1975), the Grażyna Hase Gallery in Warsaw (1980, 1982), the Alicja and Bożena Wahl Art Gallery (1990), the Filmar Hotel in Toruń (2016), DA Agra-Art (2022).

Jacek Yerka, Artistic life
My artistic life began in the second year of studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Nicolaus Copernicus University. Quite unexpectedly (for myself, my colleagues and the group of teachers) I won the competition for a poster for the 50th anniversary of the Polish Hunting Association. I received the first prize of 450 PLN, for which I bought a large album of Bosch and an even larger one with Dürer's graphics in the KMPiK bookstore.

In my third year of studies I took part in a poster competition for the so-called Renaissance Day, which I again unexpectedly won. Here the prize was more serious, and General Jerzy Ziętek in Katowice personally congratulated me on my success. I was slowly starting to turn into a bounty hunter. I took part in all possible poster competitions; on the occasion of May Day, July 22, advertising "Społem" (they paid the best and printed my very realistic and difficult to print designs fairly decently), for the Olympic Games in Toronto, for the 50th anniversary of LOT, for the knights' tournament at the Golub Castle (here the organizer promised me a win and kept his word - I think I was the only participant in this memorable competition) and many others, which I no longer remember exactly.

In order not to fall into a rut, I also took part in Jan Spychalski painting competitions organized in Poznań; I received 3rd prize there twice in the late 70s. In 1978, I won a competition organized by the Iraqi Cultural Center in London under the slogan "Palestine - homeland denied". I received £1,500 (£1 was worth 3.5 $), a pleasant trip around Iraq and a handshake from Tariq Aziz (he was supposed to be Saddam Hussein, but he was purging the Baath party).

I also won 3rd prize at the Polish Poster Biennale in Katowice in 1979. In 1980 I received 3rd prize at the International Sports Biennale in Barcelona. Also in 1980 I won a competition in Milan for a poster promoting the development of public transport - a cosmically high one at that time, I received the award in person, driving a small Fiat with a cracked head gasket, slowly and slowly through the Alps. I also won 3rd prize at the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw in 1981 and at the Poster Biennale in Lahti in 1983.

That was the end of my adventure with posters, painting absorbed me completely. In 1995, my album "Mind Fields", published in the USA by James Cowan, in collaboration with Harlan Ellison, received the World Fantasy Award. This resulted in an exhibition in Los Angeles in 1998 at the Beverly Hills Gallery. In 2011(?), NVIDIA organized a worldwide competition for computer graphics inspired by my paintings. I liked the winning work so much that I made "The Third Day of Creation" inspired by it. The history of my individual exhibitions is short and results from the specificity of my work. Paintings are time-consuming and most find buyers before the idea of the next exhibition materializes.

But it has worked a few times:

• Jan Malik in 1975 at the Od Nowa Gallery in Poznań – I carried 6 large paintings, my entire output at that time, in the corridor of the train to Poznań, all the time making sure that the passengers squeezing past did not crush them; but at the vernissage I had a great conversation with Prof. Tadeusz Brzozowski, who confirmed my conviction that I should paint in my own way and not look at anyone;
• Grażyna Hase in 1980 and 1982, in her atmospheric gallery on Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw;
• Hella Nebelung in 1983 at the Hella Nebelung Gallery in Düsseldorf;
• Alicja Wahl in 1990 at her own gallery in Żoliborz;
• James Cowan in 1998 at the Beverly Hills Gallery in Los Angeles;
• Wiesiowi Żyle in the foyer of the “Filmar” hotel in Toruń (giclè only) in 2016;
• Konrad Szukalski in 2012 at the Agraart Auction House gallery.

I can't forget about the brass Catherine in the Toruń Hall of Fame in front of the Artus Court, where I addressed the gathered crowd on a summer evening in 2008. I am constantly painting and trying to tackle new ideas or dust off old ones that I was unable to realize due to technical or mental deficiencies.