Karol Kochanowski

Karol Kochanowski is a Polish-born contemporary oil painter based at Rogue Artists Studios in Manchester, UK. Moving to the UK over twenty years ago, his practice is deeply informed by a dual cultural perspective and his lived experience as a neurodivergent artist navigating ADHD and Autism. He views the canvas as a vital space to find structure within a naturally chaotic internal landscape, using the intuitive process of oil painting to translate the fragmented, unspoken layers of the psyche into a legible visual world. While his past work focused on semi-abstract, surreal mindscapes—including a solo exhibition at HOME Manchester in 2021—his current practice has evolved into an intimate exploration of self-representation. Through contemporary figurative self-portraits grounded in Jungian theory, Kochanowski examines the tension between the inner self and the external "persona," questioning how shame and self-criticism shape our reflections, and investigating whether we can meet our own image with greater compassion.

AWARDS

- Winner, HOME: Granada Foundation Gallery Exhibition Award, 2020
- Shortlisted, Greater Manchester Art Prize, 2019
- Shortlisted, Air Open Prize, 2018
- Winner, Ken Bellany Prize, 2013
- Shortlisted, neo:ar...

2013 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

2010 Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

2005 Freehand Drawing Course, University of Technology, Lublin, Poland

2026
Manchester Open - HOME, Manchester, UK
Fuzzy Memory - Hanover Project Space, Preston, UK
2025
Curatorially Almost… - Rogue Platform, Manchester, UK
Déjà Vu - Rogue Platform, Manchester, UK
2024
shapes and cat shapes - solo exhibition, The Art of Tea, Manchester, UK
Friends of Dorothy x Refuge - The Refuge, Manchester, UK
KUNSTLICKER - Mirgage/Islington Mill, Manchester, UK
Shuffle - Tobacco Warehouse, Liverpool, UK
2021
patience.HEADSPACE.resilience - solo exhibition, HOME, Manchester, UK
2020
Manchester Open - HOME, Manchester, UK
2019
ORNAMENTIKA (Manifest) - Fred Aldous, Manchester, UK
PAINT (Manifest) - PS Mirabel, Manchester, UK
Spotlight (Manifest) - Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester, UK
Greater Manchester Art Prize 2019 - Bolton Museum & Art Gallery, Bolton, UK
Europia Art Collective Launch Exhibition - Old Bank Residency, Manchester, UK
2018
Bankley Open Call - Bankley Studios & Gallery, Manchester, UK
Air Open - Air Gallery, Altrincham, UK
The Art of Volunteering - Whitworth Gallery, Manchester, UK
2017
Anniversary - Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester, UK
Abstractionism : An Abstract Art Exhibition - The Bureau - Centre for the Arts, Blackburn, UK
Stimulus - Menier Gallery, London, UK
Stimulus - The Muncipal Art Galler...