The Team
ARTUR TRAWINSKI
FOUNDERArtur Trawinski is the founder of the European ArtEast Foundation. Polish, he has supported arts for over a decade as collectors and philanthropists. Member of the International Circle acquisition committee at Centre Pompidou. Artur oversees all activities of the foundation. He lives between Poland and France. As a collector, Artur has supported both emerging and established artists. He has a particular interest in abstract expressionism from the 1960's and its correspondents in Poland. Artur is the Founder of global cosmetics and perfume company FM World, a leader in multi-level marketing. First established in Wrocław in 2004, the company quickly expanded globally and now operates across 93 countries. Today under Artur’s leadership, the company works with over a million international business partners.
MARIA RUS BOJAN
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDBorn in Romania and now based in Amsterdam, Maria is a curator and advisor. In 2017, she co-curated Effigies of Life, A Tribute to Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930 – 2017) in Wroclaw. She was director of the Sindan Cultural Centre Cluj (1999 – 2003) and a curator at the Art Museum of Cluj (1994 – 1999). She has played a significant role in exhibiting Romanian artists globally, and co-curated Performing History, the Romanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2011). Working with German performance artist Ulay, she has curated and produced several exhibitions about his work and published Ulay’s first monograph Whispers: Ulay on Ulay, with Valiz Foundation Amsterdam. Currently, she runs MB Art Agency, a platform for curatorial and art advisory projects. She is a member of the International Association of Art Critics, a member of Tate’s Russia and Eastern Europe Acquisition Committee (REEAC) and a trustee of Beelden aan Zee Museum.
MADINA KAZHIBEKOVA
CENTRAL ASIAN CONSULTANTMadina was born in Kazakhstan and she lived between Europe and the USA for more than 20 years before relocating to Dubai, where she currently resides. Her unique environment, growing up in Central Asia, allowed her to develop a distinctive outlook on Art and Design. She speaks 5 languages (Kazakh, English, Russian, Polish and Turkish) and is educated all over the world. She graduated from the American University of Cyprus, University of Northern Virginia, as well as completed graduate courses at Harvard University and art courses at Sotheby’s Institute of Arts, London. Madina advises the Foundation on Central and East Asian matters as well as fundraising; including strategy and business development.
None of our projects and endevours would be possible without the generous help and donations of FM World Group
FAQ
WHAT IS EUROPEAN ARTEAST FOUNDATION, WHAT DO THEY DO?
European ArtEast Foundation is an independent not-for-profit art organisation. It supports art from Eastern Europe through commissioning and producing projects in partnership with institutions and organisations.
WHO WAS IT FOUNDED BY AND WHEN?
It was founded by Irmina Nazar and Artur Trawinski in 2017.
WHAT ARE THEIR PROJECTS?
The Foundation’s first project was Effigies of Life, A Tribute to Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930 – 2017), a retrospective exhibition showing over 120 works across multiple venues in Wroclaw, Poland, including outdoor public locations.
WHAT ARE THE FUTURE PLANS FOR EUROPEAN ARTEAST FOUNDATION?
European ArtEast Foundation’s vision is to increase visibility of contemporary art from Eastern Europe through exhibitions, residencies, research and publications.
WHAT REGIONS DOES IT COVER?
The Foundation’s focus is on art from Eastern Europe. The area was once easily definable, but the dissolution of cold-war blocks, rapid change in the post-communist world and the growth of the EU altered this. Roughly speaking, the Foundation is looking at artists between the Baltic and Adriatic seas.
WHAT TIME PERIOD DOES THE FOUNDATION COVER?
The Foundation has a focus on encouraging the rediscovery of seminal Eastern European artists from the 1950’s and 1960’s alongside working with contemporary artists.
WHAT IS THE COLLECTION?
Irmina Nazar and Artur Trawinski have been developing a private collection for over a decade and the Foundation evolved from this experience. The collection is primarily built around two directions: abstract expressionism from the 1960’s and its correspondents in Poland, and geometric minimalism and its development and interpretation in Eastern Europe.
It includes works by Tadeusz Kantor, Victor Vasarely, Karel Appel, Wojchech Fangor, Jan Ziemski, Imre Bak, Dora Maurer, Jan Lebenstein, Wilhelm Sasnal, and Magdalena Abakanowicz among others.
WHAT IS THE TEAM’S STRUCTURE?
Founders Irmina Nazar and Artur Trawinski work closely alongside director Jonathan Tybel and curatorial advisor Maria Rus Bojan. The Foundation is in the process of developing an advisory board with international advisors across the art-world.
WHY IS THE FOUNDATION IN LONDON?
The Foundation is registered and based out of London, but works internationally. The Foundation will continue to work closely with museums, arts organisations and artists throughout Europe, and as the major cultural centre for the European art world, London was the obvious central location as a gateway of sorts.