Meet the Artist: Olek
On April 16th, the Brooklyn Museum will host its fourth annual Brooklyn Artists Ball in celebration of the borough’s creative community. Leading up to the event—which honors artists Jenny Holzer, Ai Weiwei, and Kehinde Wiley, and features a benefit auction, dinner, and dancing—we invite you to learn more about the artists who’ve contributed to the cause:
Olek, born Agata Oleksiak, is an artist who bases her practice on covering people and objects in snug crocheted cozies; as the artist puts it, “my madness becomes crochet.” She has used her craft to re-create popular imagery and well-known art in the form of installations and performances, including works by Banksy and Annie Leibovitz’s 1986 portrait of Keith Haring. She often includes text in her works, like medical reports, text messages, and famously provocative quotes by Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. Olek’s work is commonly spotted around New York, where she has covered cars, chained bicycles, Bernard Rosenthal’s Astor Place Cube, and Wall Street’s charging bull statue. While her characteristic crochet motif is a camouflage pattern in fluorescent colors, recently her works have tended towards grayscale. Olek also wears her own crocheted creations.
Auction bidding begins April 7th at 12:00pm EST. Register to bid and explore the Brooklyn Artists Ball on Artsy.
