Take 5

Józef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski

As a result of the widespread devastation of World War Two, Polish-born artist Józef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski migrated to Australia in 1949. Upon his arrival in Melbourne he studied briefly at the National Gallery Art School before commencing work at the Leigh Creek coalmines in the early 1950s. It was here that the iridescent desert light captivated his attention, shifting the focus of his visual arts practice to the illustration of kaleidoscopic variations in Australian light. He settled in the Adelaide Hills in 1955 where he occupied a small cottage on the estate of Edward Stirling Booth for 40 years, until his death in 1994.

Ostoja-Kotkowski is regarded by critics as Australia’s ‘first true multimedia artist’, his practice evolving from drawing and painting to encompass experimental photography, laser kinetics as well as moving image and sound performances. His early works display an expressionistic and surreal style, which over time evolved towards pure abstraction through his exploration and use of light as a medium.

This small selection of works from Flinders University Museum of Art’s collection provides a snapshot of the Ostoja-Kotkowski archive, which was kindly donated to the University by the estate of Edward Stirling Booth in 2005. Comprising over 400 artworks, the five images presented here offer a glimpse of the artist’s development, dedication, and significant contribution to Australian art.

Madeline Reece
Exhibition and Public Programs Manager (Acting), Flinders University Museum of Art
Adelaide, Australia, 2020
 
© Flinders University Museum of Art

^{Jozef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski
Born 1922, Golub-Dobrzyn, Kujawsko-Pomorski, Poland
Died 1994, Stirling, Adelaide}

^{Untitled (photograph of man with paintings) c.1950
black and white photograph
20 x 21.9 cm}

^{Gift of the Estate of Edward Stirling Booth
Collection of Flinders University Museum of Art 4241.003
Image © the Estate of the artist, Andrew and Edward Booth 2020}

^{Jozef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski
Born 1922, Golub-Dobrzyn, Kujawsko-Pomorski, Poland
Died 1994, Stirling, Adelaide}

^{Untitled (painting) 1952
oil on canvas
63.5 x 50.5 cm}

^{Gift of the Estate of Edward Stirling Booth
Collection of Flinders University Museum of Art 4406
Image © the Estate of the artist, Andrew and Edward Booth 2020}

^{Jozef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski
Born 1922, Golub-Dobrzyn, Kujawsko-Pomorski, Poland
Died 1994, Stirling, Adelaide}

^{Untitled (composite) c.1970
black and white photograph
40.5 x 51 cm}

^{Gift of the Estate of Edward Stirling Booth
Collection of Flinders University Museum of Art 4241.257
Image © the Estate of the artist, Andrew and Edward Booth 2020}

^{Jozef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski
Born 1922, Golub-Dobrzyn, Kujawsko-Pomorski, Poland
Died 1994, Stirling, Adelaide}

^{Untitled (laser image) c.1980
c-type photograph
40 x 31 cm}

^{Gift of the Estate of Edward Stirling Booth
Collection of Flinders University Museum of Art 4241.252
Image © the Estate of the artist, Andrew and Edward Booth 2020}

^{Jozef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski
Born 1922, Golub-Dobrzyn, Kujawsko-Pomorski, Poland
Died 1994, Stirling, Adelaide}

^{Dawn 1982
Mixed media collage, synthetic polymer on aluminium
110.7 x 110.7cm}

^{Gift of the Estate of Edward Stirling Booth
Collection of Flinders University Museum of Art 4241.415
Image © the Estate of the artist, Andrew and Edward Booth 2020}