Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1964 Wrocław, Poland

Year of Migration to the UK: 2012

Biography

Artist Maciej Hoffman was born on 31 August 1964 in Wrocław, Poland, the child of two artists - painter, Jadwiga Hoffman and sculptor Bogdan Hoffman. After studying philosophy at the School of Theology in Wrocław, he pursued his artistic education at the Academy of Fine Art from 1988, graduating in Painting and Sculpture in 1992. Growing up under the communist regime in Poland, as a teenager he was involved in the underground resistance movement ‘Solidarność’, while at university he was a part of the Students' Strike Committee opposing repressive political agendas led by the government. This difficult time strongly influenced his subsequent views on art and the way he continues to approach his subjectmatter. Having witnessed the beginning of martial law, the fall of Communism and the subsequent birth of Polish capitalism, Hoffmann worked for 15 years for Zebra, one of the biggest advertising agencies in Poland. Using art for commercial purposes, combined with the unrelenting dominance of the profit principle, however, came to seem as much of a trap and a constraint as that which he had experienced under Communism. In 2003, he began to explore web art but following a watershed moment, returned to the studio and began to focus exclusively on painting with oils, reflecting that: ‘Unquestionably painting is my life. I like hanging a new canvas and fighting with myself over which idea has priority to show up on it. I like paint, its structure, the different techniques of painting, and the different ways of creating a painting’ (Olga Zapisek, Your Mirrored Thoughts in My Art: An Interview with Maciej Hoffman, 2010). This newly found artistic freedom triggered a domino effect, engaging Hofmann in a wide range of creative activities, including stage and costume design.

In 2012, he immigrated to England in search of fresh perspectives and artistic opportunities. Here he became involved in leading art workshops for school students, encouraging self-expression through art therapy for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, or coping with mental health issues and trauma. He also contributed artworks to exhibitions dealing with conflict and resolution, including to two marking Holocaust Memorial Days in 2012 and 2018 respectively. Maciej Hoffman's work has been exhibited in the UK on numerous occasions, including under the auspices of the APA (Association of Polish Artists in GB); at Chelmsford Cathedral; Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) Gallery and Willesden Gallery (both London), and at the Warwick Art Centre.

Related organisations

Holocaust Memorial Day (exhibitor)
POSK (exhibitor)
APA (Association of Polish Artists in GB, member)

Selected exhibitions

ING Discerning Eye Exhibition (2020)
Be Free for Art, Willesden Gallery (2019)
Holocaust Memorial Day, Town Hall, Cardiff (2018)
Migrants' Dream, POSK Gallery (2016)
Be Free for Art, Mead Gallery, Warwick Art Centre (2014)
Masks, POSK Gallery (2014)
APA UK Spring Exhibition, POSK Gallery (2014)
Deconstructing Conflict, Chelmsford Cathedral (2013)
Space Gallery (2013)
Blue Line, Vale of Glamorgan Council marks Holocaust Memorial Day, Town Hall, Barry (2012)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Maciej Hoffman]

Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.

Maciej Hoffman artist