vernissage 3.10 / g.18.00 / gallery AOKZ / 3 Włókiennicza Street /.
It's always the moment just before gunshot.
You try & try to rise but you cannot.
In work, the beginnings are often the most difficult. The moment when an idea is hatched is a notch that is difficult to put into words, and although Margaret Atwood's poignant work has become the link between the stories told by the artists presented in the Gallery - Ola Skowronska, Sonia Witak and Barbara Wozniczka - finding an adequate translation of the emotions contained in it was the first barrier they encountered.
My heart clenched like a fist? My heart pounding like a fist? My heart beating like a fist? We can't choose - the original remains. Each of the tried-and-true versions has its advantages and limitations.
This is reminiscent of the limitations of language vis-à-vis art; especially evident when men are taken to task for interpreting women's art. The female artists, recounting personal experiences rooted in deep self-awareness, and at the same time stemming from involuntary entanglements in a patriarchal society, weave together disparate ways of experiencing the same world. We had the privilege of accompanying the artists on their journey, but we are not here to explain anything - the artists themselves speak perfectly for themselves. What we can do is testify to the journey from our own,
limited perspective.
For Atwood, sleep is a space of freedom and exploration in the body, which, stripped of the burden of reality, immerses itself in the world and is filled with it; a white blast of sunlight penetrates you, there is nothing above you. The trio of artists shows what forces this lightness (we won't say "innocence," because it has no relation to paradise, much less to guilt) is subjected to when the girlish subject enters the space of what we call reality. Following Lauren Berlant's thought, the cruel optimism of this situation reveals that the conditions of life in the modern world are conditions of attrition for the subject. The artists in their
The projects take their measure from the forces of attrition with which we so often align ourselves, begging the question of their adequacy or even necessity.
In this exploration, the perspectives of Barbara Wozniczka and Sonya Witak subtly complement each other. Barbara's project I'm venturing into the world focuses on the self, which, confronted with the pregnant fact that not much in life is as we thought it was, is confronted with a choice - to sustain the illusion, or to embark on an unknown path and try to find a place in it for oneself. The language of this encounter is fairy tale and irony, which cushions the painful fall from the tower of imagination. Change is an unavoidable compulsion in this situation, for which we slowly prepare ourselves with successive images.
Sonia, on the other hand, explores the internalized gaze of another, bringing to life a private study of crooked mirrors. In their reflections, the girls construct an apparent figure of themselves, but must be careful not to lose themselves on the other side of the mirror. The title I don't want to get up because I'm afraid, which is an excerpt from the artist's diary, approximates the existence of some sense of not-self that nests in the girls at a very young age. It is in it that Sonia rooted her project.
Ola Skowronska's statement multiplies this individual perspective: she creates a portrait of four young Chechen women living in Western Europe, sharing the name of one of the people closest to her - the titular Heda, met years ago via the Internet, with whom the artist is unable to meet in person. However, this meeting takes place here - on the level of the project they create together.
Each of the heroines lending Ola her story lives in a kind of suspension - between the world of the extremely traditionalist, patriarchal culture they left behind and the reality they live in, but which does not allow them a full sense of belonging. Building relationships with the Hedas becomes a practice of overcoming this suspension and reducing the distance, even if only for a moment.
From the combination of these three voices emerges a narrative about trying to find a place for oneself in a society that often tries to impose that place. Your Heart is a Shaken Fist creates a space for dialogue about agency, identity and the ways in which women navigate a world that belittles their freedom with a carefree hand, without thinking through the consequences.
Barbara Wozniczka (born 1998) - a visual artist originally from Silesia. In her
practice seeks new visual solutions, often mixing art techniques with
photography. He takes up the themes of memory, representation, and presence, placing them in a
context of interpersonal relations and related internal conflicts.
Participated in group exhibitions at Fotofestiwal in Lodz, Fringe Section of the Month, among others.
Photography in Cracow, the Old Gallery of ZPAF in Warsaw, CCA "Signs of the Times" in Torun,
Pauza Gallery in Cracow, or at the State Art Gallery in Sopot.
Ola Skowronska (b. 2001) - visual artist. In her practice she relies on the interpretation of
Social, historical or scientific phenomena that serve as its starting point for
telling individual stories. Important elements of her practice include research and
working on archives. She is interested in artistic activities based on exchange and collaboration,
Which treat art as a space for dialogue. She has shown her works, among others, at the festival
PhMuseum Days in Bologna, Fotofestiwal in Lodz, Month of Photography in Krakow, as well as
at The Cowgirl Gallery in Malmö, the State Art Gallery in Sopot or MOME
Photography in Budapest. She is the recipient of the 2023 IOC scholarship.
Sonia Witak (born 2000) - visual artist using the medium of photography, textiles and
found objects. His practice explores the themes of gesture, interpersonal relationships and positioning
women in society. She draws on her own and collective experiences, reaching
often to the archives as a starting point. She showed the works during the Month of Photography in
Krakow, the Labyrinth Festival in Frankfurt and in group exhibitions in Szczecin and
Lodz.
Witek Orski
Krzysztof Pijarski
In collaboration with female artists