Sidney Kocib’s journey to self-expression through abstract art was grounded in the love and study of photography. Circa 1974, after years of finding his creative outlet through the lens of a camera, Kocib realized he needed to move beyond photographs: beyond the “picture”. This need urged him to begin conveying his interpretation of the world through a more hands-on approach. From then, Kocib devoted his life to the exploration of the various aspects - theory, history, and creation - of abstract art.
Born in the Czech Republic in 1931, Sidney Kocib spent the first third of his life (until 1968) behind the iron curtain. Understandably, some of his earlier work is influenced by the political history of a country struggling to exist within the constraints of communism. Yet the great majority of Kocib’s work is his unique celebration of the mystery and beauty of both the physical and metaphysical world we live in.
Throughout the last thirty-five years of his life, Sidney Kocib turned his eye and brush to a broad range of themes. His artwork depicts nature, spiritual and folkloric traditions, human relationships, social and political events, and man’s understanding and interpretation of reality. Continuously striving to push at and cross over his boundaries, Kocib took his creative process down numerous paths. In the late 90’s, for example, he began experimenting with incorporating holographic foils into his paintings in a entirely singular and revolutionary way. The resulting series of Luminograms addresses the existence of a “fourth dimension” in fine art. (A further, detailed, exploration of this concept can be found in his article, originally published by Leonardo Magazine (MIT Press).
In keeping with the idea that art should nourish the soul of creator and observer alike, Sidney Kocib’s creativity was inseparably linked to his passion for life and to a deep spiritual need for soulful self-expression. Approaching his own work with utmost reverence, honesty, and serious intent, he achieved art that is thought-provoking, kinetic, vibrant, spiritual, and constantly evolving.
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Sidney Kocib passed away in October of 2014. The bulk of his work is the care of his daughter and family.
Studies:
Karlova University, Prague, Czech Republic
York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Exhibitions:
1975 – Founders College Art Gallery, YORK University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1975 / 76 / 77 – North York Public Library Galleries, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1976 – Ben Hillel Synagogue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1976 – Déjà-Vu Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1980 – Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1983 / 84 / 85 / 86 – Gallery of the Arts, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA
1984 – Wilde-Meyer Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
1986 – Gallérie de Paris, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1986 – Gallérie Rafay, Frankfurt, Germany
1995 to 2001 – select galleries in the Czech Republic (Prague: Svankmajer Gallery, Brno, Zlin, Vsetin)
2001 – Galerie “V Poschodi” (“the Upstairs” Gallery) Vsetin, Czech Republic
2002 & 2004 – New Westminster Public Library, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
2004 & 2005 – Arts Council of New Westminster Gallery, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Select Private Collections:
Canada – Toronto, Ontario / Ottawa, Ontario / Vancouver, British Columbia
United States – Lake Havasu City, Arizona / Newport Beach, California / San Diego, California / Eugene, Oregon
Czech Republic – Prague / Brno / Zlin / Vsetin / Znojmo
Germany – Kronberg/ Mannheim / Heidelberg
Austria – Linz
The Netherlands – Deventer
Writings/Published Articles:
“TO” Manifesto – 1981
Quasi-negative Space in Painting – Leonardo/ISAST, MIT Press, vol. 19/2, 1986
LUMINOGRAMS: Apparent Movement in Two-Dimensional Images – Leonardo/ISAST, MIT Press, vol. 33/2, 2000