Dorota Nieznalska, "Jewellery 1", Swarovski crystals, 60 x 70 cm. Photo courtesy of the artist
Poznań's EGO Gallery presents an exhibition of new photos and video works by the artist persecuted by Poland's court system for almost a decade
The title of the exhibition, "196 k.k.", refers to Paragraph 196 of the Criminal Code, which states that "Whoever offends the religious feelings of others, publicly insults the object of religious worship or places intended for public performance of religious rites shall be subject to a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment up to two years.".
The District Court in Gdańsk carried out a trial against Dorota Nieznalska that lasted between 2002-2010 under section 196 of the Criminal Code for her 2001 installation "Passion" at the Wyspa Gallery in Gdańsk. Over eight years there were a total 41 trials before she was finally acquitted by the Court of Appeals. The film presented in the exhibition is a symbolic representation of eight years spent in the criminal system. In the background is the artists's voice whispering what sounds like a prayer, but what is really a monotonous recitation of the dates of the 41 court hearings.
Nieznalska's first exhibition in a decade took place in Gdańsk last summer at the Miejska Gallery. The exhibition revolved around the reconstruction of violence in the city of Gdańsk, from anti-Semitism to the oppression of the Solidarity protests. The exhibition presented several new works, such as the Jewellery series, which embellished a crown of thorns with Swarovski crystals or otherwise replaced the crown of thorns with a tangle of Christmas lights, or other works that fetishised religious objects and symbols of violence and hatred. The twisted and broken gate that once graced the Gdańsk shipyard symbolised the strength of determination and protest.
In Poznań the artist delves deeper into her experience of violence and persecution as the subject of such actions. In an interview given at the time of the 2011 exhibition in Gdańsk, the artist explained that
The subject of violence interests me unequivocally since the beginning of my work, beginning from my student works, such as "Modus Operandi" in 1998: the testimony of women who had been raped, sitting on stools under a single, bare lightbulb. This installation spurred a series of works on the conflict between gender relations, domination, vulnerability, subordination to another (as a victim).
Later violence was perpetrated against me, expressed through works with a fetish or sado-masochistic themes. Violence is generated on many level, which is why it is often unnoticed and unidentified.
See more on Dorota Nieznalska and her works on the artist's website: www.nieznalska.com
See more on Dorota Nieznalska's Passion on Culture.pl: Dorota Nieznalska's Passion - A Decade of Judgment on Artistic Freedom in Poland
The exhibition at the EGO Gallery in Poznań takes place between the 3rd of February - 3rd of March, 2012.
Galeria EGO
Wrocławska 19
61-838 Poznań
Source: press materials