Mariusz Waras, also known as m-city, is a global street art icon. This multifaceted artist, author of around 700 murals in more than 40 countries, graphic designer and illustrator, also works as a teacher, organises cultural events, is involved in revitalisation projects, and – more and more often – curates exhibitions.
To celebrate ŁAŹNIA CCA’s 25th birthday, Mariusz Waras will prepare a spatial installation to be placed on a steel frame outside the ŁAŹNIA 2 CCA building in Nowy Port. It will be an impression about Łaźnia and the phenomenon of a place that, while changing its practical function, retains its social one. The artist’s work will reflect the historical concept of the Łaźnia building and its architectural details as well as the original associations of łaźnia, i.e. a bathhouse, with physical culture, sport, and the body. The equal status of corporal and spiritual culture will act as a bridge between the former place of hygiene and the contemporary art venue.
The artist also plans to prepare a second public installation on the façade of the ŁAŹNIA CCA in Dolne Miasto in June.
MARIUSZ WARAS was born in 1978 in Gdynia. Having completed his post-doctoral studies, he currently works as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, where he runs the Street Art Studio at the Faculty of Architecture and Design, field of study: Architecture of Cultural Spaces. Apart from academic work, he also works with graphic design, spatial installations and large-format painting. The latter work, particularly his early mural M-city – which became his artistic trademark – turned Mariusz Waras into one of the most recognisable street artists worldwide. From the outset, he has structured his works around urban aesthetics, employing architectural and industrial motifs (including elements of the shipyard or means of transport). His style, albeit evolving, remains minimalist and to the point. Initially, Waras mostly created dehumanised landscapes and machines in the process of production or destruction, playing with the unlimited possibilities of compiling an ever-growing lexicon of elements, but with time, his works began to include his reflections and manifestoes, sometimes taking on the form of concise comments on current events. Waras is also a curator of exhibitions and artistic events. He co-founded the POGODA think tank, working with broadly understood cultural management. Since 2018, he has curated the Dictator Art Masters festival at a distillery located in the Colombian jungle. The place is regularly visited by the foremost street, urban and contemporary artists. Together with the Dictador brand, Waras designed the NFT collection at ArtHouse Spirits DAO and the golden bottle from the M-city Golden Cities edition sold for USD 1.5 million.