I.
Exhibition: Love, Memory, Curiosity
Artists: Alicja Bielawska, Tymek Borowski, Magdalena Karpińska, Olga Micińska, Shana Moulton, Katarzyna Przezwańska, Mikołaj Sobczak, Stach Szumski, Nomadic State
Venue: Polana Institute in Geological Museum
Date: until November 6th
Love, Memory, Curiosity is the first exhibition of contemporary art at the Geological Museum. It shows contemporary art as yet another stage of evolution, with the title referring to the words of Charles Darwin: “the difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind.” Love, memory, and curiosity are common to humans and animals.
The idea for the exhibition was born out of fascination with the function and space of the Geological Museum, where nature becomes a history that needs to be preserved for future generations. Visitors usually struggle to grasp the immense durations of geological eras; the exhibition artists deal with this exercise in geological imagination by incorporating magic and surrealistic elements in their art. For me the interior of the Geological Museum is the opposite of the white cube. Observing the art object of young artist in such surrounding was a very refreshing and stimulating.
Magdalena Karpinska_Love, Memory, Curiosity_exhibition view_2017. Photo by Bartek Górk
II.
Exhibition: Views 2017
Artists: Ewa Axelrad, Przemek Branas, Agata Kus, Honorata Martin, Łukasz Surowiec
Venue: Zachęta – National Gallery of Art
Date: until November 12th
Views 2017 is the eighth edition of the competition for young artists, organized by Deutsche Bank Polska S.A. and Zachęta – National Gallery of Art. The committee led by painter Paulina Ołowska selected five finalists. Participating in this year’s Views are artists born between 1984 and 1987, representing various regions of Poland, whose art is linked by a shared interest in humanity — both in the individual, as well as in the social perspective.
The show is a good occasion for an overview of contemporary young art in Poland. This years edition is special because of its vivid comment on the actual political and social reality.
Honorata Martin „Wikiup”, Zachęta, fot. Marek Krzyżanek
III.
Exhibition: Early Polishness
Artists: Katarzyna Przezwańska
Date: until November 4th
In the gallery window Katarzyna Przezwańska shows a handmade diorama made from paper, depicting the area of Warsaw about a hundred million years ago. The capital of Poland was overgrown with palms and subtropical forest inhabited by dinosaurs. The area was located closer to the equator. The artist sums up, shortly- Poland was better before it was Poland. Przezwańska focuses on the time before humans, escaping from Anthropocene.
Katarzyna Przezwańska, Early Polishness, by B. Górka. Courtesy of Fundacja Sztuki Polskiej ING