Visual and Literary Arts

Portfolio of Artworks by Alexander Kusztyk, last updated 6 September 2023

Sculptures

Bird Nest (2021)
obsidian, marble and concrete
L: 7.3 cm (2 7/8 in), H: 4.8 cm (1 7/8 in), D: 5.3 cm (2 1/8 in) 

Artist's Statement: "As a reflection of my personal engagement with local geology and wildlife, Bird Nest depicts a Black Phoebe as an obsidian shard rising from a cylindrical nest of marble. The obsidian is from Obsidian Dome, which formed during the 1350 CE eruption of the Inyo Volcanic Chain running along California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada. Lava extruded from this eruption cooled quickly and hardened into volcanic glass as it reached the Earth’s surface. In contrast, the dolomitic marble quarried further south from the Inyo Mountains began its journey over 400 million years ago when California was submerged under a shallow ocean. Subsequent metamorphic processes would invest the rock with a delicate crystalline sparkle. By uniting these two dissimilar rocks and reimagining them as a bird species native to California, I seek to highlight the incredible diversity and harmony of my home state’s rich and ever-growing story."

Backs in a Bit (2022)
plane tree branch and brick
Dimensions variable

Artist's Statement: "Winds often speed through Cambridge, England with considerable force. One early-spring storm in 2022 turned the River Cam's surface whitecapped and made the mostly leafless trees on its banks sway and groan. Following the storm, I spent the afternoon on the Backs at St John's College wandering among the fallen branches and sprouting daffodils. The moss-covered plane tree branch featured in Backs in a Bit was lying in the Louis Cha Stone Garden that day. Although this brittle branch had splintered from its source of life, the moss was still alive and soft to the touch. I found a brick as well that day partially buried in the ivy and grass by the Bin Brook. Also covered with moss and discoloured with age, this brick was likely discarded during the construction of the nearby New Court in 1831. I have taken such walks along the St John's Backs more times than I could possibly count. Backs in a Bit memorialises this walk, which, like my other walks, was a unique journey through an ecosystem close to my heart that grows and breathes and groans, then dies and comes alive again."

Paintings

A Rustic Bridge at West Wycombe Park (2018)
Oil on canvas, 12.7 x 17.8 cm (5 x 7 in)

Autumn at Stourhead (2018)
Oil on canvas, 12.7 x 17.8 cm (5 x 7 in)

Cripps Court (2022)
Digital art, 29.7 x 42 cm (11.75 x 16.5 in)
'Highly Commended' in the 'Paintings and Drawings in Any Medium' category at the 2022 St John's College Student Art and Photography Competition


Photography

Langson Library (2021)
Awarded 1st Place in the 'Black and White Photography' category at the 2022 St John's College Student Art and Photography Competition

Nineteen Plus Six (2023)
Published in issue 159 of SHOTS (Spring 2023)


Films

Hetty Film (2 April 2022)
Written and directed by Alexander Kusztyk and starring John Donegan-Cross
Awarded 1st Place in the 'Film' category at the 2022 St John's College Student Art and Photography Competition

Oculi Omnium (2023)
Written and directed by Alexander Kusztyk
'Highly Commended in the 'Film' category at the 2023 St John's College Student Art and Photography Competition


Event Scores

  • Cambridge Leisure:
  • "Mountain Painting" (Published in issue 66 of Notes, 2021)
  • "Love Piece" (Published in issue 66 of Notes, 2021)
  • "Walking Piece" (Published in issue 13 of BAIT, 2022)
  • "Statue Piece" (Published in issue 67 of Notes, 2022)
  • "The Truth of Museum Labels" (Published in issue 67 of Notes, 2022)
  • "Turn Piece" (Published on the Cambridge Review of Books website, 2022)
  • "Sky Piece" (Published in the 2022 edition of St John's College Poetry Pamphlet; displayed at the What Is Art art exhibition, curated by Cosmin Constantin, Boomer Gallery, London, England, 7-12 October 2022)
  • "Climbing Piece" (Published in the 2022 edition of St John's College Poetry Pamphlet; displayed at the What Is Art art exhibition, curated by Cosmin Constantin, Boomer Gallery, London, England, 7-12 October 2022)
  • "Sunshine Piece" (Published in the 2022 edition of St John's College Poetry Pamphlet)
  • "Crowd Piece" (Displayed at the Make Me Wanna Holler art exhibition, Gallery Aferro, Newark, New Jersey, 7 October 2022 - 21 January 2023)
  • "2 Seconds" (Published in issue 68 of Notes, 2022)
  • "Cloud Piece" (Published in issue 68 of Notes, 2022)
  • "Timber" (Published in issue 68 of Notes, 2022)

Poetry


Short Stories