Biography
Curriculum Vitae
“He went the way he had to go (…).—Thomas Mann, “Tonio Kröger”, 1903
And if it was the wrong way, then that was because
for certain people no such thing as a right way exists.”
Beata Wielopolska, born in Warsaw in 1963, left Poland in August 1982 as an award-winner of the nationwide competition "Polish Olympics of the German Language" — without any intention of ever returning.
In 1993 she graduated cum laude in Art History from the Vienna University, specializing in European Symbolism. During her studies she was able to deepen her knowledge due to the extensive travels in Europe and the involvement in research projects in Scandinavia. In 2000-2001, in Warsaw, she attended Courses of Artistic Photography, organized by the Society of Polish Artists-Photographers. Since 1990 she has been working as a Tour Manager for leading international tour operators: Globus Gateway and, since 1995, Insight Vacations.
Italy is the country where she was not born only due to the irony of destiny, and Venice the city, which has determined many years of her life...
In 1996 she participated in the Carnival of Venice for the first time
already then using her first costume creations in the celebration; this event
was immortalized in a series of photographs. In autumn 2001, bringing new costumes, she arranged a nostalgic "Return to Venice" for the sole purpose of shooting further pictures. When she again participated in the Carnival of Venice (2007), it was with the same goal.
She has had numerous exhibitions of her photographic works — all of which were opened with a happening featuring her Venetian costume creations. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, upon the invitation of
The Witold Gombrowicz City Theater in Gdynia, Poland, she organized
several Venetian parades beside the Baltic Sea in Gdynia-Orłowo keeping with the Summer Stage programme of this theatre.
In March 2008 she founded The Theatre of Music and the Mask "VENEZIA", an endeavour inspired by her own huge collection of Venetian costumes. Using this vehicle, she prepares open-air happenings, stage etudes, concerts and is also planning full productions of music and choreography.
"Death Mask" 2008