Roman Opalka
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The River of Time'
Artist Roman Opalka has painted time exclusively since 1965. Not using symbols as
clocks or calendar dates, he paints a sequence of numbers to represent the passing of
time. The canvas size, height and style of digits never changes. Opalka has now passed
the five million mark with over 200 paintings, spending more than half of his life on this
single oeuvre. It will be completed only when he dies. He records the numbers as he
counts in Polish, his mother tongue, and photographs his face at the end of each days
painting session. The number paintings, photos, sound and texts are all elements Opalka
uses for his installations on time. The name of this art work is: OPALKA 1965/ 1-oo
Roman Opalka, born in France in 1931, is a true cosmopolitan and lived in France,
Poland, Berlin and New York. Before setting out on his counting voyage OPALKA
1965/1-oo, Opalka removed himself in logical steps from figurative work, searching for
a clear approach to represent the irreversibility of time. His works are in the collections
of the MOMA, The Guggenheim Museum, New York, The National Gallery, Berlin, De
Mesnil Foundation, Houston, Centre G. Pompidou, Paris, Toyota Municipal Museum of
Art, Japan and other institutions. Opalkas retrospective exhibitions, participation at the
XIX Biennial of Sao Paolo, and the 1995 Venice Biennial, as well as his writing
published in several languages brought him world-wide recognition.
For more details about Roman Opalkas oeuvre please contact
jointadventures Fax (Japan) +81-(0)52 955 0121,
Tel. (Japan) +81-(0)575-34 8335, Europe +49 (0)171- 642 8080
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