Three exhibitions are open at the Centre for Contemporary Art in the Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw: “Ukraine. Under another heaven, Jan Bortkiewicz “Weather Forecast” and Jagoda Stączek “Kunstkamera. Cabinet of singularities”.
Each exhibition has a different character, although the presentation devoted to Ukraine of the time of war straight connects with the earlier task entitled “Political Art”about which “Gazeta Trybunalska” wrote in September 2021 : > Here..
Ukraine. Under a different sky
On the front facade of Ujazdowski Castle, 2 immense banners were attached to advertise the exhibition. Among them was the sculpture of Dmytro Iv'a (born 1974) entitled “Shoot yourself” depicting the face of Russian president Vladimir Putin with a weapon barrel in his mouth.
Before entering Ujazdowski Castle. Photo: Mariusz Barył / paper Tribunalska. Click to enlarge.32 Ukrainian creators presented more than 200 works created, in the majority, in 2022, responding to the Russian Federation's attack on their country. So it can be said that this is an up-to-date comment on what is happening beyond the east border of Poland. And that's what this exhibition is about: not adequate art, besides much publicity and documentary. It is hard to find something that has not been seen before, so this exposition should be viewed as a superficial evidence of emotion and survival. Not 1 of the presented works has the depth to which intellectual and artistic motivations should be involved. Only installation can be distinguished Julia Zakharova depicting a double bed with pieces of glass embedded in it marked with black paint.
Julia Zakharova entitled “The rule of 2 walls”. Photo: Mariusz Barył / paper Tribunalska. Click to enlarge.Zakharova's thought is obvious: even the most safe place ceases to be 1 erstwhile armed conflict breaks out. Hence the simple association with Kora Jackowska's song “Bed”:
The bed is simply a magical area
Whispering scream and laughter
There's a place for happiness here.
There's a place for sin
It's a delight island.
Sea of Solitude
This is the birthplace.
And the door to nothingness
In this case, the last verse – “door to nothingness” – perfectly echoes the thought assemblage.
However, even the critical evaluation of the exhibition prepared by Victoria Burlak is nothing like the reaction of visitors. Among them, on Sunday February 12, there were more people speaking Ukrainian than Polish, and it was easy to see people who looked at the pictures and the images did not hide tears. So even for these tears it is worth sharing the Ukrainian collection.
Jan Bortkiewicz. Weather forecast
The introduction to the Bortkiewicz catalogue was written by the historian Prof. Andrzej Nowak. The scientist did not usually deal with random, worthless cases, so the fact of interest in Jan Bortkiewicz's work is an incentive to see his works.
Nowak asks:
Is the author of all these photographs an arsonist? possibly just a boomelant., A deserter from the front of an endless fight for a new, A wonderful world? Like the 1 from the old poster of 1 of the art masters of Bortkiewicz – Jan Tarasin? Or possibly he's a quiet diversion in this fight.? Show Language, It's ridiculous., makes you think (For example, in blood–grey kaleidoscope of the staircase, On which erstwhile ‘Unknown perpetrators“ They killed Stanisław Pyjas, And now it serves as an entrance to a completely different shrine.). Tumani, Scare?
Bo Bortkiewicz provokes, and behind the artistic provocation there are concrete inquiries: for memory, history, morality, morality... In his works Poland is reflected as in a mirror of water, sometimes it is dirty water, sometimes spring water.
Jan Bortkiewicz “Brzeza”, 2010. Photo: Mariusz Baryła. Click to enlarge.The creator reacts to what happens around in real time, sending clear signals to the recipients. This is simply a committed activity, its main nonsubjective is not to make pleasure, but to level questions that cannot always be answered.
Again, prof. Nowak:
However, Bortkiewicz's photographs do not fit in the comedy convention. They uncover absurdity., horror spiritual vacuum. His Weather forecast She's not optimistic at all, Though at first glance she seems funny.
Berries Pear. Kunstkamera. Curiosity Office
What is Kunskamera? It is simply a collection consisting of various unusual objects, may be works of artisans, artists, scientists, but besides objects created by nature. They are stored in a peculiar area called office, to clearly separate the “official” collections from the singularity. Fashion for collecting different things appeared already in the 15th century, but its bloom came to the 17th century.
Berries She was born in 1990 in Wałbrzych, where she presently lives. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, an artistic education in the Faculty of Painting. She has collaborated with the quarterly “Newsweek Psychology”, the magazines “KUKBUK” and “Pismo” and “High Obcas”. Her work could be seen in the “K Mag” magazine or in the Puro Hotel network. He loves to play with meanings, get something out of his natural environment, change context, destroyed, yellowed paper of old newspapers and herbage. From each journey he brings old magazines, fragments of destroyed books and forgotten photographs, from antiques in the side street and Sunday flea markets. Most collages are made in analog form. All the pieces are in paper form, and her favourite tools are scissors and glue. But it besides does not defend itself against digital collage.
One of the collages of the Berry Stab. Photo: Mariusz Barył / paper Tribunalska. Click to enlarge.A bar full of handfuls draws inspiration from the past, but what it creates is absolutely original. Collages are the kind of tickets to her imagination, her fears, her dreams, her memories and her fantasies. frequently surrounded by black humour, surrealism and eroticism. They bring to head the old numbers of the “cross”, where akin works were gladly presented. Beautiful are the creators who live in parallel worlds – distant from flat reality, overwhelming like the top of a concrete skyscraper on a residential settlement.
Jagoda Stączek has a website, including a reproduction store of his works. It is: > Here..
End
It is worth mentioning that as always in the CSW, free catalogues of exhibitions were taken care of reliably and aesthetically released. besides available online: > Ukraine, > Bortkiewicz.
→ M. Barrel
6.03.2023
• Photo: Mariusz Barył / paper Tribunalska
© copyrighted material – all rights reserved; further distribution of content only with the approval of the publisher of “Gazeta Trybunalska”
• more about art exhibitions: > Here.
