FUSION GALLERY

Music Art Memory Wine

Agata

Agata Skulimowska – PIANIST

Agata, originally from Poland, fell in love with Fryderyk Chopin’s music at a very young age. His music was so special to her, that at the age of twelve she was inspired to begin her formal musical training. In 2017, she completed a Bachelor degree at The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland studying under professor Krzysztof Jablonski. In 2019 she moved to Calgary to continue her education and broaden her musical experiences, joining the Advanced Performance Program at Mount Royal University Conservatory. In 2023, Agata graduated with a Master’s degree in Piano Performance at University of Calgary School of Creative and Performing Arts studying under Dr. Jani Parsons.

Agata made her orchestral debut this year in Canada performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and is a laureate of national and international piano competitions in Europe.

She has taken part in many masterclasses and music festivals around the world in Poland, Denmark, Japan, Italy and Canada.

She has worked with acclaimed pianists and piano professors including Eugen Indjic, Sasha Starcevich, David Moroz, Tobias Koch, Janusz Olejniczak, Nikolai Demidenko and Alexander Braginsky.

Along with her passion for solo performances, Agata is an active chamber musician, teacher and collaborative pianist.

Maya

Maya Budzinski – VIOLINIST

Maya was born in Edmonton, Alberta. As a young girl, her parents took her to a recital by Edmonton Symphony Orchestra violinist Joanna Ciapka Sangster. She was very inspired by this music and began taking violin lessons. She quickly became known as a very talented child, and supported by her parents was able to develop her outstanding talent.
She began her musical education at Suzuki Charter School in Edmonton, took lessons from James Keene, and was a student of Robert Uchida. She also studied under William van der Sloot, a highly respected teacher at the Mount Royal Conservatory of Music in Calgary (now Mount Royal University).

Maya was a student in various programs at MRU (e.g. Academy for Young Artists Program, Honour Program, Mount Royal Conservatory Advanced Performance Program, and others). She has participated in prestigious music workshops in Canada and the USA. She is currently a student of Professor Jonathan Crow at the University of Toronto.

Maya is known in Edmonton, as well as in Calgary, as a volunteer at countless events, where she has played recitals. She is also a winner of many awards (e.g. in 2018 she won the Grand Prize in the Canadian Music Competition, Quebec).

Julia

Julia Jabłońska – STUDENT, SINGER

Julia, born in Calgary, is an aspiring producer, songwriter, and singer. Inspired at a young age by her father’s career as a concert pianist, she developed a deep passion for music early on. Growing up, she explored many instruments, which now play a key role in her music production. However, singing remained her constant passion, and over time, she embraced it as her primary focus.

Currently, Julia is studying Business at the University of Calgary while concurrently studying music production at Berklee College of Music.

In 2021, she was awarded “Song of the Year” for her songwriting and singing in the Calgary Catholic School District’s competition, which was then professionally recorded and showcased to an audience of more than 7,000. During her high school years, she was part of Bishop Carroll’s Vocal Jazz Group and the award-winning Chamber Choir.

Julia frequently sings the Canadian national anthem at public events, most recently at the Western Canada Swim Championships and the University Swim Championship Finals. She performs at community festivals, churches and events around the city. Her style shines in ballads and jazz-inspired soul-pop, where her vocal strength and emotive delivery span diverse genres.

Her voice has often been described as “delicate yet powerful, blending warmth with a haunting depth”.

Recently, Julia has gained traction on social media by posting covers to YouTube channel: JuliaJablonskaMusic.

Katarzyna

Katarzyna (Kasia) Koralewska – TEXTILES AND MULTIMEDIA

Katarzyna is a textile-based and multimedia artist and art educator currently living in Calgary. She received her education at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary (Mobility/Exchange Program 2007/2008) and Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Poland (Master of Fine Arts 2009). She presently teaches surface design, fibre and drawing in Continuing Education at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Her artistic practice involves creating large-scale silkscreen printed textiles, drawings and installations. Her work has been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Czech Republic and Canada.

Kasia is a member of ACAD faculty since 2013.

Katarzyna

Katarzyna Gajewska – DIGITAL CERAMICS

Katarzyna’s creative career started in 2006 at ACAD (Alberta College of Art and Design) and paused while she pursued a career in consulting on sustainable building. It rekindled in 2021 when she enrolled in pottery workshops on wheel throwing and handbuilding.
Katarzyna is now a part time 2^nd year student at AUArts pursuing a combined concentration in 3D Computational Design and Ceramics. She explores vernacular ceramic techniques juxtaposted with 3D printing with clay.
Her work fuses her passion for building and sculpture into functional forms. She is influenced by the blue shades „Bolesławiec” pottery and the clarity and simplicity of Japanese forms.

Karolina

Karolina Kruk – CROCHET

Karolina was born in Poland but currently lives in Calgary. She is a mother of three wonderful children. She loves animals and nature. Back in Poland, she worked as a teacher, and here in Canada she supports her husband in his business. She finds relaxation and escape in weaving yarn.

To this day, her grandmother still teaches her crocheting. For years it has been part of her daily life. She hopes that her adventure with handicraft will continue, and she will be able to develop her passion further. According to the Hierarchy of Needs on Maslov’s pyramid, the need for self-fulfilment and fulfilling passions is at the very top importance

She let’s realize ourselves and make our dreams come true!

Anna i Piotr

Anna i Piotr Angiel – EMBROIDERY

Anna and Piotr are a husband-and-wife team based in Calgary, creating modern landscape embroidery inspired by their shared love of art and nature. Originally from Poland, they moved to Canada in 2009 and made Calgary their home – drawn in by its proximity to the Canadian Rockies, their greatest artistic inspiration.

Anna brings her passion for interior design, oil painting, and artistic sewing to their creative process, while Piotr contributes his eye for detail through landscape photography, watercolours, and drawings inspired by his backcountry hikes.

Angiele2-Bow Lake, Skoki Lake, Farryland

Together, they transform the beauty of mountain valleys, glacial lakes, wildflowers, and other natural landmarks into intricate embroidery art. Their work features the Canadian Rockies, the Cascade and West Coast mountains, and the arid highlands of Utah and Arizona – each piece carrying a personal connection and a story of a place they love.

Słavek

Słavek Pytraczyk – CONTEMPORARY VISUAL

Slavek is a Polish-born multidisciplinary artist based in Calgary. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Alberta University of the Arts, he is an active participant in the local art scene, showcasing his art across multiple spaces in Alberta. His latest passion lies in film photography, particularly multiple exposure techniques, which have garnered attention and secured him a spot in a group exhibition in Rome, Italy. Słavek’s unique visual language explores the interplay between photography, painting, design, and public art.

This interdisciplinary approach allows him to explore how different artistic practices interact and influence one another.

Eva

Eva Kaiser – PAINTING

After completing her Master’s degree in architecture and urban design at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Eva took on the role of a university researcher and teaching assistant at her alma mater. Once she moved to Canada, she worked at major architectural companies in Calgary. The pandemic paradoxically opened a new door that allowed her to dedicate all her time to her true passion. Time seemingly stopped, and she finally could hold a paintbrush without a time limit.She considers art a never-ending work in progress: a glimpse into the artist’s mind, and an infinite journey of self-discovery.She perfectly aligns her artistic path as a painter with the words:“I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’m still thinking. I’m still working”. (Gerhard Richter)

Michał

Mike (Michał) Maciaszek– PHOTOGRAPHY

In 2013, Mike moved to Canada from Poland, embarking on a new chapter in his life. Here, he discovered his passion for photography, which has grown year by year since 2015. Photography has not only become his biggest passion, but also a profound source of meaning in his life. Spending more time in nature, he realized the positive impact it had on his mental health. Over time, as his photography skills evolved, so did his understanding of its deeper purpose: to inspire others to reconnect with the natural world. In 2022, he organized his first exhibition on this topic. Now, two years later, he is excited to present a more engaging and impactful experience with “Reconnect: The Healing Power of Nature”. Attendees of “Reconnect” can expect a multi-sensory experience that goes beyond the visual, engaging sound, scent, and touch.

Monika

Monika Deviat – PHOTOGRAPHY

Monika is an award-winning photographer, educator and speaker based out of Alberta. Monika’s photography spans multiple genres and demonstrates her versatility, technical skills, and unique perspective.

Her career began with concert photography, taking her across North America to shoot hundreds of bands and dozens of festivals. In 2015, she shifted from shooting stars on stage to stars in the sky. Night photography has become Monika’s personal favourite genre, and it goes hand in hand with her landscape and adventure images. She is driven to capture unique scenes that inspire a sense of wonder and appreciation for the wild places surrounding us. Her photos have been published in national and international books, magazines, and webzines. A workshop instruction, Monika is passionate about sharing knowledge and creating memorable experiences.

Paul

Paul Wojdak – AUTHOR

A Canadian son uncovers the life that his Polish father, born in Siberia in 1912 and orphaned as a young child, rarely spoke of. Why the silence?

Was it a question of forgetting or being too painful to remember?

To author Paul Wojdak, his father’s life was in many ways a mystery. Through an enormous intellectual and emotional labour of love, he set out to solve it…

…and that’s what he will share with us.

Escape from Siberia, Escape from Memory
AN ODYSSEY ACROSS TWO OCEANS &
NINE COUNTRIES TO ARRIVE HOME

PAUL WOJDAK’S FATHER, PAWEL, was born in 1912 in Novosibirsk, Siberia. During the 18oos, many Polish people were banished to Siberia for rising against czarist Russia’s repressive policies aimed to destroy Polish language and culture, and they eventually lived in Siberia for generations. By the 1920s, war and chaos followed the Russian Revolution, and Poles were cast as “enemies of the people,” fleeing east as refugees. Most died from disease, starvation, cold, or violence, including Pawel’s parents, and many Polish children were tragically trapped in Siberia – a seven-year-old Pawel among them.