Meet the artist behind the creative process.
Zbigniew "Zee" Kijak is an American artist, born in Poland, currently residing in south Florida. He moved to the United States in 1978 and lived in Chicago, IL until his move to Florida in 2014. His interest in photography started as a teenager while living in Poland.
In Chicago, his artwork was displayed in coffee houses, restaurants, and other businesses. In addition to currency collages, his art includes photography, digital photography, collages, and acrylic painting. Mr. Kijak's work has been selected for juried Shows in Chicago, IL, Miami, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach, Florida, including Palm Beach International Airport's "Art at the Airport", Art Continuum - West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton International Art Show, and art galleries. Recently, his self-portrait currency collage was recognized as "Best in Show" at the A.E.Backus Museum's Best of the Best annual juried exhibition in Fort Pierce, FL.
Why Currency?
The value behind the medium.
I reconstruct portraits of cultural icons using real currency to explore the intersection of wealth, fame, human value, and the power of money. Using real dollar bills, I construct collages of cultural icons-many of whom became more profitable in death than in life, highlighting how identity can be converted into enduring financial value.
Money, very much like water, is a necessary commodity and can serve in amazing ways. Both can be very destructive or a powerful, positive force. For example, we all need water to survive, but we see its destructive forces in floods and hurricanes. Conversely, money also inspires us to create and build better lifestyles.
Each note in my collages has passed through hundreds of hands before becoming art.
