Arobal
Bartek Arobal Kociemba (born in 1984) is a Polish visual artist and a meditation teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. He studied political science at the University of Wrocław, Christian philosophy at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, and Buddhist philosophy at centers across Europe and North America. He currently lives and works in Copenhagen.
Since 2005, Kociemba has been regarded as one of Poland’s leading illustrators, collaborating with publishers, magazines, theaters, and other institutions. Alongside his illustration career, he has pursued an independent path as a visual artist. Over the years, his practice, initially rooted in illustration and portraiture, has expanded to include animation, spatial installations, and sculpture. In 2019, together with Magda Buczek, he founded VI LEVER PÅ POLSK—an artist-run exhibition space focusing on feminist, queer, and migration themes.
Selected solo exhibitions:
2024 Repeating the times of Beginning, Lisowski Gallery, Warsaw
2024 Dangerous Pleasures, Szydłowski Gallery, Warsaw
2024 Rehearsals of Belonging, Container Academy, Copenhagen
2022 Flowers Burning, Overtrappen Gallery, Copenhagen
2022 Czułki, Szydłowski Gallery, Warsaw
2021 Whole Burnt Flowers, Municipal Arsenal Gallery, Poznań
2019 What Is Hidden, Silesian Museum, Katowice
2017 The Marsh, I do Art Gallery, Warsaw
2015 Daphne, Transfestiwal, Onamato Gallery, Kraków
2014 Space of Common Presence, Trafostacja Sztuki, Szczecin
2013 Unusual World of Arobal, Graphics and Poster Gallery, Warsaw
2013 Art Showcase and Q&A, Owoce i Warzywa (Fruit and Vegetables), Łódź
2012 What’s Your Stats, Pomada Festival II, Warsaw
2011 Indeed I’ve Shaved but Only to Grow Them Longer, Pomada Festival I, Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw
2011 Ochota is Growing, Cafe Ochota, Warsaw
2011 Hair, Bagatela, Warsaw
Selected group exhibitions:
2024 Milk and Sand, VLP gallery, Supermarket Art Fair, Stockholm
2024 Container Academy - opening showcase, Copenhagen
2024 Oneiric Reality, EMI Warsaw
2024 MRZN, VLP gallery, Copenhagen
2023 Refugees Welcome, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw
2023 Juxtapose Art Fair, Aarhus, Denmark
2023 Sankt Hansine, VLP gallery, Copenhagen
2022 Tak Tak, VLP Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2022 Plavalaguna, Leto Gallery, Warsaw
2022 Enter Fair, Szydowski Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2021 Art Showcase, Accademia di Danimarca, Rome, Italy
2021 Okamgnienie, Szydłowski Gallery, Warsaw
2021 Paper Positions, Jarmuschek + Partner Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2021 Be Queer! Be Real!, CU 46 Online Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2021 Vi Lever På Polsk 1st Bday Bash, Copenhagen, Denmark
2020 Vi Lever På Polsk, VLP Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019 Kreatywne Stany Chorobowe: RAK HIV AIDS, Municipal Arsenal Gallery, Poznań
2019 That What is Hidden, Silesian Museum, Katowice
2018 Księgi Pana Tadeusza oczami współczesnych artystów, Pan Tadeusz Museum, Wrocław
2017 Drawing Tutoring, Biała Gallery, Lublin
2017 Meet the New Artists, Artoteket, Copenhagen
2015 Inside Out: Polish Graphic Design and Illustration in the Making, Wanted Design, New York, USA
2015 Transfestiwal: Dafne/Daphne, Onamato Gallery, Kraków
2014 Gossip, Trafostacja Sztuki, Szczecin
2013 Bajeczne są rzeczy przyziemne, kiedy dotknie je ręka geniusza, Kordegarda Gallery, Warsaw
2013 Illustrative 16th Biennale of Illustration and Graphic Art, Berlin, Germany
2013 Niezwykły Świat, Graphics and Poster Gallery, Warsaw
2012 Debt, Living Theatre, New York, USA
2012 Design for Freedom, Freedom in Design, Berlin, Germany
2012 All Work No Play, Berlin, Germany
2012 New Chaos, Katowice
2012 Illustration PL, Soho Factory, Warsaw
2011 Dramaturgia Plakatu, Museum of Graphics and Posters in Wilanów, Warsaw
2011 Czułość Gallery’s Bday, Czułość Gallery, Warsaw
2010 Ilustracja PL, Sinfonia Varsovia, Warsaw