Polish curator Ewa Kozik presents seminal exhibition “As You Can See: Polish Art Today” – curator’s pick

Where’s Art invites Warsaw’s curator Ewa Kozik to introduce contemporary Polish art through a review of crucial group show “As You Can See: Polish Art Today”.

The exhibition “As You Can See: Polish Art Today” was one of the most prominent shows of contemporary Polish art. Focusing on the works that were created in the last three years, it aimed at tracing the current interests of the artists in the country. The curators Sebastian Cichocki and Łukasz Ronduda divided the show into fifteen thematised sections, used as points of reference, as well as, starting points for further analysis. The exhibition was preceded by a very detailed research and finally showed over 80 artists, who served as examples of the current trends in artistic expression, rather than exhausting the large topic.  Probably, the ones that attracted the most attention were, among others: “Contemporary Folk Art”, “Contemporary Plastic Arts” and “Surrealism and Feminism”.

“Contemporary Folk Art” (for example: Krzysztof Maniak, Daniel Rychalski, Robert Kuśmirowski, Michał Łagowski) examines the important turn of the artists towards rural areas, focusing their interest on local communities rather than large cities. Going against the common idea that contemporary art can be understood only by well educated specialists living in the modern cities, they move back to their home villages or travel to small towns as visitors, in order to make their art there. Often it is very much in relation to nature, communities living in those places and with their involvement in the artistic project.

“Contemporary Plastic Art” (for example: Olaf Brzeski, Krzysztof Mężyk, Tomasz Kowalski, Piotr Uklański) focuses on the artists who have gone back to the traditional ways of expression finding values again in painting, metal-works, drawing, sculpting, ect. Paying attention to the aesthetic side of the pieces, they turn away from the idea that art’s first duty is to carry on an important message rather than being interesting form the formal point of view.

“Surrealism and Feminism” (for example: Ewa Juszkiewicz, Aleksandra Waliszewska, Magdalena Moskwa, Bianka Rolando) points out to those artists, who are also story-tellers. The section is dominated by women, reversing the order that ascribed surrealistic form of expression to male artists in Poland. Although using silent media: paintings, drawings, sculpture and installation, they speak out touching upon important issues. Feminists refer to violence exerted on females, the pressure to be beautiful that society puts upon them and various ways of interpreting “the body”. They refer to the present as well as the past, in an attempt of rewriting history.

The exhibition originated from the current moment on artistic scene in Poland. It was an interesting study not only for us now, but also for the future examination; a point of reference that allows us to see what will remain, what will disappear and what will develop further out of the artistic expression in three, four years time from now.

The narratives explored in the exhibition:

I THE AVANT-GARDE EXHAUSTION

II CONTEMPORARY PLASTIC ARTS

III CRITICAL ART TODAY

IV POLITICAL FINE ARTS

V SURREALISM AND FEMINISM

VI MAKING NEW WORLDS

VII CONTEMPORARY FOLK ART

VIII THE LOCAL ARTIST

IX OTHER MASTERS

X THE GLOBAL ARTIST

XI THE MEMORY AND EMOTIONS OF OBJECTS

XII AS YOU CAN SEE

XIII SOUND IN ART

XIV BETWEEN THE DISCIPLINES

XV POST-NEW MEDIA ART

Ewa Kozik

Ewa Kozik was born in 1986 in Warsaw, studied in Trinity College Dublin and in the University of Warsaw. She holds a diploma in Philosophy, Cultural Studies as well as in Animation of Culture. She is an assistant curator and producer at Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture at the Królikarnia Palace (a division of National Museum in Warsaw), guide in the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw and an independent curator and writer. Together with other members she has created an informal artistic group Someone’s Works.