His name is Dominik because he was born on a Sunday afternoon. As a child, he was fascinated by the fate of the Little Prince and dreamed of becoming an athlete. After one of his ideas, when he wanted to be a mountain rescuer, Plama, a charming and faithful Bernard’s, stayed at home for a long time.

He graduated from a general secondary school and then bachelor’s studies in Management and Marketing at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. After a few years of break in studies, he decided to return to master’s studies at the same faculty of the Wrocław University of Technology, but he finished his education at the level of obtaining a discharge.

He obtained his professional title of Master of Arts in 2020 at the Faculty of Graphic Arts and Media Art at the Department of Photography and Media Art at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław.

He completed his diploma thesis in the field of photography under the supervision of Prof. Andrzej P. Bator. The supervisor of the diploma annex in the field of media art was Prof. Wiesław Gołuch. For the next two years, he continued his education at the Wrocław university as a student of the Postgraduate Studies in the Discipline of Fine Arts in Architecture, attending painting classes at the studio of prof. Anna Maria Kramm and the Studio of Advertising and Visual Information led by dr hab. Artur Skowroński.

This stage of gaining knowledge and skills was crowned with an original exhibition of works in the space of the NIEGALERIA studio in Wrocław.

Dominik’s educational path had a clearly sinusoidal character and ran somewhat „on the wave” of sports fascinations. His interest in surfing and freeride skiing has led him to practice both of these disciplines recreationally, for almost 30 years now.

By improving his qualifications, he obtained the qualifications of an international ISA surfing instruc- tor, co-created the Polish surfing scene and, as an instructor, conducted classes for board adventurers in Poland, France, Portugal, Morocco and the Canary Islands. The activities were guided by the Costa Rican philosophy of Pura Vida, which loosely translated means „simple, pure life”, „life to the fullest”, „truly life”.

Pura Vida is an attitude to the world and one’s place in it and at the same time the quintessen- ce of existence, in which a healthy for the body and beneficial for the spirit lifestyle is cultivated in accordance with the laws of the natural human environment and a minimalist approach to reality. The message refers to the values recognized by groups of people with similar interests, way of thinking and behavior, between whom social interactions and interpersonal relations take place, which unite and do not divide, which are distinguished by an ecological attitude and characterized by a supranational cultural dialogue.

Traveling and frequent stays by the ocean made him begin to explore the secrets of photography. Images recorded on film gained a different dimension, because perception was stimulated by looking from a different perspective. Photography became an inseparable element of work, passion and lifestyle.

The SURF subculture was the backbone of photographic narratives about interpersonal relationships, the place of man in his natural environment and emotions related to practicing sports.

He surf, worked, studied, and photographed in Argentina, France/Carcans, Greece, Indonesia/ Lombok, Lithuania and Latvia, Morocco/Taghazout, Imsouane, Poland/Hel, Władysławowo, Portugal/Nazaré, Baleal, Ericeira, Sagres, Sri Lanka, Italy, the Canary Islands/Lanzarote-La Santa, Caleta de Famara and Fuerteventura.

He edited articles for industry magazines and co-created films on surfing, was an accredited photographer during the largest European surfing competitions in Nazaré, Portugal, prepared advertising campaigns for leading Polish clothing brands related to this discipline, and presented his own photographs at exhibitions.

His artistic path began in his family home, filled with an atmosphere of creative work, conversations about art and design. Dominik Jan had his own scenario in his quest to discover his true SELF, to search for himself, his place on earth, and there is no doubt that he is still in the process.

For many years he was drifting blindly, meandering carried by the current of emotions of varying intensity or floating on the friendly wave of subtle experiences. To my surprise, one day he asked if I could look at the drawings and photographs, because he intends to take up master’s studies at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Seven years have passed since that conversation and a lot has happened. The dormant creative potential has exploded. The paintings emanate sincerity, expression and joy of creation. He expresses content and form with a painterly gesture; creating his own alphabet of signs of the visual language, he juggles composition, plays with color, defines dimensions with a spot, and sets directions with a line. From 2019 to the present, he has participated in 9 collective exhibitions, presented works at 13 individual exhibitions, implemented an artistic project as part of the International Skateboarding Day 23 in Warsaw and the „CAVE” project.