Leszek Mądzik on Corset: “The corset is something that both protects and subdues. We often wear it as a costume to create the illusion of somebody we desire to be. This strange mask at times chafes our face, and even causes us pain. It leads to our discarding of illusory façade. Integrated with music, a wordless performance is an attempt to enter the layers of our human nature that confront pressure with liberty.”

Leszek Mądzik is the founder of the Visual Stage of the Catholic University in Lublin (active since its inception in 1969), director, set designer, painter, photographer, writer, art historian, one of the most recognisable and versatile Polish artists. Professor of the Catholic University in Lublin and of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (Scenography Department). Since his directorial debut, i.e. his critically acclaimed Wieczerza (Supper), it has been clear that formally distinctive, rich in biographic details, unconventional stage works authored by Leszek Mądzik have no counterpart in the theatre world. The Visual Stage of the Catholic University in Lublin participated in dozens of international theatre festivals and exhibitions. Mądzik created set designs in Poland, Portugal, France, and Germany. Conducted classes and staged shows at the request of universities and arts schools in among others Helsinki, Berlin, Amsterdam, Washington, San Francisco, Hamburg, Lyon, and Prague. He is inspired by the thought of John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila, as well as by the creative output by Leonardo da Vinci, Alina Szapocznikow, Tadeusz Kantor, and Jerzy Nowosielski. Leszek Mądzik is a recipient of numerous accolades, including the “Per Artem ad Deum” Medal of the Pontifical Arts Council (2008), the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” Cross (2014), and the Gold “Gloria Artis” Medal for Merit to Culture (2015).