Alex Sadkowsky
Alex Sadkowsky was a Swiss multi-media artist, painter, illustrator, graphic artist, photographer, performer and author.
Early life
Alex Sadkowsky was born in Zürich, Switzerland. His mother was an artist, as was his brother. His father was a portraitist and restorer in Vienna, Zürich and Salzburg, like his mother before him. As a young adult, Sadkowsky engaged in various occupations, including being a jazz musician, a traveling salesman, a Spanish teacher, a tap-dancer, an exterior painter, and a brief time as a boxer.Artistic career
His life included a diverse range of exhibitions, experiences and publications of his writings.He was a most prolific author, painter, graphic artist and performer.
In 1986, Alex Sadkowsky emphasized that "I paint not only against the death, but for life."
Biography
In 1946, he wrote a series of short poems and made a number of paintings. He attended drawing lessons taught by and Charles Kissling.He married Sonja Blattmann in 1957. The couple would eventually have one daughter and three sons. In the same year, Sadkowsky spent six months in Spain. While there, he was a student at the Academie de Bellas Artes at Valencia.
During 1958 he worked as a freelance artist, sharing an atelier with the artist Friedrich Kuhn.
In 1960, he made several trips to India, where he studied Buddhism in Darbanga and Darjeeling.
In 1961, he traveled to Venice, Italy.
In 1963, while staying in London, UK, he met with Francis Bacon. The same year, he visited Ireland for the first time. He would visit the country 70 times. He co-founded Group 65. During his time in Dublin, he began work on the novel Die Chinesische Wespe – Geschichte einer Liebe.
In 1965, he released three short films: Kaninchenleben, Der Blinde and Wieviel Erde braucht der Mensch?.
In 1966, he travelled to Russia with Max Frisch, Tankred Dorst and Marianne Oehlers.
In 1970, Stedelijk Museum give Sadkowsky an atelier. There, he devised works about the "Animal metaphysicum". In that year he also travelled to Mexico and Guatemala.
In 1972, he travelled to Greece. That year he was featured in solo exhibitions in museums in Turku and Tampere.
In 1973, he travelled to the Balkans and stayed in Istanbul.
While living in Zürich in 1977, he held a solo exhibition in the Taylor Gallery in Dublin.
In 1983, he created several new paintings, drawings and sculptures under the title Kommunikation in Wolle.
In 1984, he completed writing the novel Die gelbe Frau oder Schriftsymbiose zweier Blondinen.
From 1985 until 1993, he travelled to Italy, Greece, Holland, Spain, Yugoslavia, Portugal, Malta, Mexico, Ireland, France and the USA.
In 1995, he travelled to Hang Dong, Pudoi in Sansai/Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
From 1996 until 2006, he received 8 recognition prizes for literature in Switzerland, Canton of Zürich.
In 1998 he completed a new project under the name Neunundneunzig neue Zürcher Märchen.
After over 9 years he finished the novel Die Chinesische Wespe – Geschichte einer Liebe in 2008.
In 2005 and 2006, he began writing the novel Die Umwandlung. He also created paintings and sculptures under the title Etymologie - Kolloquium.
In his last twenty years there were a number oflonger stays to Hang Dong, Pudoi in Sansai/Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
2023 Sadkowsky's last film was completed: "Brushdance."