Kuba Dworak

As Polish/Kenyan arts professionals (curator & musician) based in New York City, and Artist Residency Co-Artistic Directors, we will work on a research project at Paradise AIR to study Japanese approach to artist residency design. Our goal is to learn from Japanese philosophy and lifestyle while developing a framework for our upcoming artist residency that we are opening in southern Poland. Our property in Poland will host multidisciplinary artist studios, workshop spaces, recording room, bungalows, and natural landscapes featuring gardens, apple trees, a pond, and beehives. At Paradise AIR, through research, workshops, and musical performances, we will explore how Japanese concepts of space, community, and harmony can enhance our understanding of what artists need to live harmoniously and create. Our work combines Klaudia’s expertise in curating and residency-making with Jakub’s musical perspective on environmental listening and meditation.

Kuba Dworak, a bassist, constantly tours internationally and has performed globally, including at Blue Note New York, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and the Nine Gates International Jazz Festival, among others. Coming from a musical and artistic family, Kuba was raised playing music. He started with piano at age six, then discovered his love for the double bass at thirteen, initially focusing on classical music before transitioning to jazz. While still a student, he had the pleasure of working with leading musicians internationally, including Urszula Dudziak, Janusz Muniak, Ernie Watts, Larry Grenadier, Jeff Ballard, David Binney, and Mark Turner. His theater and art collaborations include an Art Basel commission for William Kentridge. Kuba completed his BA and MA degrees specializing in jazz double bass at the Faculty of Jazz and Popular Music at the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland. He also holds a second MA degree in jazz double bass and music production from the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland, where he studied with Larry Grenadier. To further his commitment to well-being and wellness, Kuba completed a third MA, this time in pedagogy and composition, where he wrote a thesis on neuroathletic training and the art of playing the double bass. Kuba views music as a powerful tool for fostering connectedness and promoting trust, empathy, and stress relief.

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