Biography

Pawel Petasz was born in Kalisz, Poland in 1951. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland until 1974. Since 1974 he has been active in the Mail Art scene. Until today he is doing paintings, collages, visual poetry and from 1989 on digital art as well. He published and initiated artists’ books by sending out books and collages that he started. In 1977 he edited the first issue of the Commonpress Magazine and coordinated other issues of this Mail Art assembling of different editors up till the proclamation of the law of war in Poland in December 1980.

His collages on fragile materials, his envelopes made from hand papermade paper and his texts, that he duplicated with linocuts, radiate the charm of a dissident production.

The National Museum Schwerin had chosen a photo of his Amsterdam performance for the poster and the cover of the catalogue of its exhibition “Mail Art – Osteuropa im internationalen Netzwerk” (Mail Art – Eastern Europe in the international network) in 1996.

Literature (selection)

Barneveld, Aart van: Six Mail Art Projects, Amsterdam 1980.

Links

Mail Artists Index: http://mailartists.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/pawel-petasz/