On Thursday, November 30th, 2006, at the square in front of Opera Nova
in Bydgoszcz, 5 Focha St. a sculpture by Jerzy Bereś, “Runda I” (Round
I) was unveiled. A cast in bronze (supplemented by an aluminum detail)
according to the original of wood and cloth, was made by Zbigniew
Mikielewicz.
The sculpture (350 x 300 x 250 cm) is situated in the Old
Town area, by the river Brda. This is (apart from a full figure
portrait of Dunikowski made in 1954/1955) the only work of Bereś cast
in bronze. The idea to cast Jerzy Bereś sculpture in bronze and
setting it in the city space came from the director of the Municipal
Gallery bwa, Wacław Kuczma. The sculpture belongs to the Gallery.
During the celebration of unveiling of the sculpture Jerzy Bereś
himself made an inscription on the bronze “Runda”. Explaining the
message conveyed by “Runda I” the artist referred to the situation in
the contemporary culture, which is symbolised by an injured Pegasus.
Jerzy Bereś pointed out that today, the axiological judgment of a work
of art is often reduced to a gesture of casting a dice. The judgment
of what is good and what is bad becomes a matter of pure coincidence.