Jan January Janczak

Jan January Janczak (born 1938, Sroda, Poland) studied painting, graphics and film in Krakow. After his studies, he gained international fame in the 1960s and 70s for his animated films. His auteur films were shown at renowned film festivals and won awards, for example in Cannes, Cork and Huesca. These successes also brought his painting into the limelight. Study visits abroad, including Switzerland, and exhibitions throughout Europe, the USA and Japan followed.

In 1972 Janczak received a professorship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In 1981 he settled in Switzerland with his family. In 1985 he spent a longer period of study in the USA, whereupon he was granted honorary citizenship in Houston, Texas. In the 1990s, the artist moved to Hong Kong in the Asian cultural region. It was here that he created his cycle "In Our Gardens". 

At the age of 70, Jan January Janczak was honoured with the "Flame of Peace". This prize is awarded for services to international understanding and commitment to peace. 

Commissions in the field of "art in buildings" such as the design of stained glass windows for the Cantonal Psychiatric Hospital in Wil, religious works for churches such as St. Anna in Glattbrugg or Zum Guten Hirten in Lustenau (Austria) as well as bronze sculptures for the Konsthall Landskrona (Sweden) bear witness to his reputation. 

The artist, who at the age of 84 can look back on several peaks and turning points in his multifaceted artistic life, is still full of creative drive. The primary focus of his diverse oeuvre is the human being and being human - the confrontation with the unconscious, existential questions and one’s responsibility.