BIOGRAPHY
Born in Poland in 1958, Balka studied at the Warsaw Academy. His sculptural works frequently relate to the dimensions of his own body, and his materials often come from his studio and childhood home in Otwock near Warsaw. Balka’s minimal, conceptual installations create a sense of unease, his use of materials such as soap, ash and even insects directly relate to his considerations of the fragility of the human condition. Balka has exhibited widely internationally and represented Poland at the Venice Biennale in 1993. Solo exhibitions include Tate Britain, London, 1995; Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, 2002; the Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York, 2004; the White Columns, London, 2004, and the Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, 2005. In October 2009 Balka will undertake the tenth commission in The Unilever Series for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London.
