International artist Witold Riedel to exhibit in Shrewsbury

The exhibition will take place at Swan Hill Studios on Swan Hill, with accompanying objects on display at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery. Bringing together ceramics, drawings and photography, Marks of Life offers an intimate presentation shaped by memory, material and place.

Riedel, a Polish-born German multidisciplinary artist now living in Lisbon, has exhibited internationally across Europe, the United States and Asia. His practice explores the interconnectedness of existence and the relationships between humans, landscape and the materials of the earth.

For the artist, the exhibition marks a deeply personal return through connection rather than geography. Riedel was born in Silesia, a heavily industrialised coal-mining region of Poland where generations of his family worked in weaving, mining and industrial labour.

These histories resonate strongly with the landscapes of Shropshire. Beneath the gentler surface of the region lies a long legacy of textiles, quarrying, coal and iron production. Within this shared industrial past, Riedel recognises parallels between the landscapes of his childhood and those surrounding Shrewsbury today.

Many of the artist’s family members and close friends now live in Shropshire, deepening the connection that brought the exhibition to the town. Marks of Life reflects this bond, linking Silesian memory with the experience of encountering a place shaped by similar histories of labour, land and industry.

Across his work, Riedel examines how materials carry memory and transformation. In the ceramics and drawings presented in the exhibition, matter holds traces of time, touch and lived experience. His photographic works expand the single image into complex visual fields that move beyond traditional representation.

Before dedicating himself fully to fine art, Riedel spent more than three decades working in design and global marketing, including roles as Worldwide Creative Director for Siemens at Ogilvy in New York and as co-founder of the London agency Tea & Water Ltd.

His recent exhibitions include Star Resonance in Lisbon (2025), Particle Memory in London (2024), Ursprünge in Frankfurt (2024), and CICA New Media Art in South Korea (2024). He is also the recipient of the Arte Laguna Prize for Painting (2020–21) and the Art Prize Diana in Offenbach (2022).

Marks of Life opens with a private view on 20 March at Swan Hill Studios, before running to the public from 21–30 March. Admission to both Swan Hill Studios and Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery is free.