Ola Rek

Artist edinburgh uk

Art and illustration / available for commissions

My practice explores the tension between the unconscious and matter. I work mainly with plaster as my prima materia, using it to embody images that arise from dreams, inner figures, and archetypal motifs. Moving between sculpture, painting, and drawing, I follow intuition, seeking both raw freedom of expression and symbolic depth.
I studied Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław and the Universidade do Porto, and have taken part in international symposia and many exhibitions. Based in Edinburgh for the past 19 years, I have held four solo shows and received the Ottilie Helen Wallace Prize at the Royal Scottish Academy.
My paintings and sculptures are in private collections across Europe.

I am available for illustration and sculptural commissions (I really enjoy sculpting portraits of kids) and open to interesting projects. Send me a message and we can chat!

Education

Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture

MFA Sculpture

– 2005 • Wroclaw Pl

Universidade do Porto

Socrates Erasmus student exchange programme

– 2004 • Porto, Portugal

Exhibitions

2022

Reverb - VAS Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy - Edinburgh UK

2021

solo with guests, Under Sleep, Where all the Waters Meet, Edinburgh Palette - Edinburgh uk

2019, 2021, 2022

RSA Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy - Edinburgh uk

2013-18

group, RSA Open Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy - Edinburgh

2013

group, Polish Artists in Scotland, Kinblethmont Gallery - Arbroath

2012

solo, Meteoropathy, Art’s complex - Edinburgh

2012

solo, A Diary, Fine arts library - Edinburgh

2012

group, TUTAJ/TERAZ (HERE/NOW), Royal Scottish Academy - Edinburgh (An investigation of Polish contemporary artists in Scotland)

2007

solo, A Forest, Total Kunst - Edinburgh (installation piece in gallery of Forest Cafe)

2006

group, 41st International Ceramics and Sculpture Workshop exhibition, City Hall - Wroclaw

2005

solo, To figure out the order, W Pasazu - Wroclaw (degree show installation)

Elsewhere