Horses have always been a source of inspiration, and their depictions in art take on various forms and styles. From bronze sculptures to paintings to modern installations, artists use a variety of media to capture the beauty and dynamism of horses.
Zbigniew Bury, an artist who has lived in the village of Roczyny in the Beskid Mały range since birth, “carves” horses from wood sourced from nearby forests. Using an electric saw, he depicts them in a stylized manner, emphasizing their symbolic significance in the region’s culture.
He graduated from the Textile Technical School in Andrychów, specializing in spinning technology, in 1991; he also studied for a year at the Private School of Visual Arts in Bielsko-Biała in 1993. Together with artist Piotr Jargusz, he founded the art group “Studio TU” in 1996. He is also a member of the NADSKAWIE Art Group, affiliated with the Society of Friends of the Wadowice Region, and the Kazimierz Art Confraternity—Artists’ Colony in Kazimierz Dolny.
He participated in the “Kunst Findet Kunst” art fair in Munich in 1997, where he presented works addressing the issue of freedom in post-communist countries. He participated in an international artists’ gathering in Isny in 2002, the purpose of which was to select an artistic project dedicated to the theme of the unity of nations. His project received the highest acclaim and was implemented under the name “Red Line Art – European Art. Project 2002.” He was awarded the Silver Medal of the “Labor Omnia Vincit” Society in 2009 and the “Meritorious for Polish Culture” badge by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2013. He received an Honorary Diploma from the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine in Kyiv for his lifetime achievement, 2020.
He has participated in over 50 solo exhibitions (including at the BWA Gallery in Sandomierz and the BWA Gallery in Bielsko-Biała) and in over 30 group exhibitions in Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Ukraine. His works are part of the collection of the Palace of Arts in Lviv. He works across disciplines, creating paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Since 2008, he has been creating caricatures under the pseudonym Alex Johanson. He lives and works in Roczyny near Andrychów.