Local sculptor THE GIANT concrete hands of artist Richard Wo- jciechowski's ‘“‘North Shore Rhapsody”’ towers over a sil- houette of the Polish-born sculptor. Two of Wo- jciechowski’s art works, commissioned by Norih Vancouver City, will be installed at Rogers Plaza next month. ci ct “ NEWS photo Mike Wakefteld works rhapsody in stone HE GILDED gold-leaf patina that covers Richard Wo- jciechowski’s monumental 3,050 kg North Shore Rhapsocy, say its admirers, lends the concrete sculpture the semblance of an ancient archeological ar- tifact. And yet the towering female figure’s facial expression seems distinctly modern. As North Shore intern-architect Pawel Mikolajczak observes, this contrast creates a timeless quali- ty. On May 23, North Vancouver City will unveil Wojciechowski’s work at Rogers Plaza, the first step in what is to become a larger-scale public art program for the city. North Shore Rhapsody, or woman with harp, suggests the jutting prow of an old ship. When compiete, one side of the harp will be covered in metal bas-reliefs detailing significant events in the histery of North Vancouver. Another piece, a lone hand supporting a trumpet. was fash- ioned after North Vancouver folk hero foe Gustemente, a human fog horn who used the blare of his trumpet to guide sight-obstructed ferries to the foot of Lonsdale. Both pieces were supposed to take four months to complete, but artists, as we know, have their own time — art in the making doesn’t adhere to a fixed timetable. The city has extended Wo- jciechowski’s deadline twice now, and the diminutive sculptor is working furiously to finish on time. “\ was afraid for him. He works into the night. He’s not very strong, and he hasn’t had any help,” says Wojciechowski’s wife, Anna Jung-Wojciechowski. Friend Krzysztof Kalicki says Wojciechoski is so devoted to the project that he often carps in his chilly studio overnight, oblivious to the world outside. “He’s a workahalic,’’ says An- na, who is also a sculptor. “While he likes painting and drawing, he feels the end result is reached too quickly. With sculpture, he has the sense that he is fighting with the materials. tt provides him with a lot of new possiblities.’ To get an idea of the scale Wo- jciechowski is working with one need only peer through his Evelyn Jacob SPOTLIGHT FEATURE Esplanade studio window: he stands on tip-toe and barely meets the top of the giant concrete hand in the hand-and-trumpet piece he’s constructing. North Shore Rhapsody just fits under the studio ceiling, towering 4.5 metres high, roughly 15 feet. Emerging from his stu- dio-warehouse, Wojciechowski shakes the soot from his mop of wiry brewn hair and wipes the dirt from his hands. Sitting down and crossing his legs, he smiles a5 Anna acts as in- terpreter (he doesn’t speak English). Speaking softly in broken English, Anna begins to speak of her husband's astonishing life as an artist and educator. Wojciechowski is barely known in North America, but the Polish Communist government once prized him as their leading sculptor and mura! artist. An instructor at Warsaw's Fine Arts Academy from 1966 to 1987, he eventually became Dean of Student Affairs and was named the country’s ‘contemporary arts expert’ by the Polish minister of culture. This romance, however, was to end in the early ‘80s with Wo- jciechowski’s increasing involv- ment in the banned Solidarity movement. According to Kalicki, Polish se- curity forces began persecuting and blackmailing Wojciechowski over his alliance with Solidarity, which came to a head when he created a church crucifix in the shape of a ‘’v’’ — Solidarity’s sign for victory. “Once Richard had several sacred pieces in a large exhibit ia Cracow, but the secret police, us- ing the excuse that they had to ship his work to Warsaw for another exhibit, closed it after only a few days. Then they destroyed his work, They began blackmailing him and doing ail kinds of things to break him,” says Kalicki. Fearing for the safety of Anna and his children, he was forced to work in secret and only at night. According to Anna, Wo- jciechowski was loathe to leave Warsaw, dut they did in 1987. For nearly four years they took refuge in Italy while awaiting their Canadian immigration status, and in 1990 they moved to Vancouver. The North Vancouver City pro- ject is Wojciechowski’s first major public commission irs North America. His work was chesen from a shortlist of five B.C. artists. The city’s selections committee, made up of landscape architects, art gallery owners, an alderman and the city’s cultural develop- ment officer, felt that his work best conformed to their criteria that the winning piece ‘‘reflect a sense of time and place, provide a sense of encounter, and contribute to the public’s sense of celebration and community spirit.”’ “That's why the others didn’t win,”’ says project manager Leesa Strimbicki. ‘They didn’t meet all of the goals of the terms cf refer- ence. ! think the key thing was that the piece reflect a sense of time, that it contribute to the pat, present and future with regard’. to the North Shore. Richard’s work really fit the bill.” The committee couldn't agree which piece to commission, so it recommended council buy both, which it did for a combined total of $27,000. As far as Strimbicki is concern- ed, the city got a bargain: the estimated market value of both works is $200,000. Wojciechowski, meanwhile, was just happy to receive the work. “Richard has had a Jot of fi- nancial hardships,”” says Mikola- See Vancouver page 27 Are we off our Rocker 2? | E entry to our Mothers day draw for your choice of - our Rocking Chairs. Largest seiection of unpainted furnkure In Western Canadz. All fully assembled and ready to go Our 3 Drawer chest, Birch $ 144+ Tax O.C.ALY. FURNITURE 12542 BRIDGEPORT RD, RICHMOND 278-4779 ‘ Coloring Children $7.56 » Fun and games (6-1 1) : 5 & under $1 per year! * Plus food they'll enjoy! The Coast JUST FOR KIDS — sorry folks! Atrium Inn Reservations: 254-1000, Ext. 511 \ 2889 E. HASTING ST. (BY THE PN.E.) Bo You Have The Fastest re NY AND KIT SPECIAL!: Regular $100. While supplies last. Special Product Discount All this week! Pet Habitat a Lynn VaLey CenTRe 986-4812 SALE APRIL 15 to APRIL 30