Event date
-
Podsumowanie
In his latest exhibition Gomulicki draws from an ancient Slavic myth of the fern flower - the symbol of everything that one seeks, but what is, in fact, unattainable. In his latest exhibition Gomulicki draws from an ancient Slavic myth of the fern flower - the symbol of everything that one seeks, but what is, in fact, unattainable. The work reinterprets the idea of the forest - instead of soothing the soul by nature we are dealing with the state of anxiety and terror
Content
Maurycy Gomulicki, "The Fern Flower"
In his latest exhibition Gomulicki draws from an ancient Slavic myth of the fern flower - the symbol of everything that one seeks, but what is, in fact, unattainable.
The starting point for creating the "Fern Flower" installation was one of the most evocative Slavic myths. Fern Flower is rooted in the enduring Slavic myth in which the Fern is an unreachable and seductive plant existing only in the realm of delusion. The work reinterprets the idea of the forest - instead of soothing the soul by nature we are dealing with the state of anxiety and terror.
The "Exploration of darkness" is a counterpoint to the artist's investigation of the "Culture of Pleasure". Gomulicki, like many Poles inevitably confronts nightmares of the past, among them the issue of genocide.
The work is inspired by a passage from the controversial novel "The Kindly Ones" by Jonathan Littell, in which a character reflects upon lost innocence, the forest is identified as a place of mass executions.
"Fern Flower" is a leitmotif extracted from this scenario and the only graphic representation within the installation shown at Arsenal Gallery in Białystok. The work takes the form of a mandala, a figure which occurs frequently in Gomulicki's work. This central symmetrical collage is based on engravings from the seminal work "Kunstformen der Natur" by Ernst Haeckel who was interested in theories of race.
Maurycy Gomulicki investigates aesthetics of evil: extra-terrestrial beauty which is frightening and fascinating at the same time. Intentionally the form of the flower refers to the genre of coffin portraiture, popular in Polish culture during the 17th and 18th centuries. The work is also inspired by op-art experiences and is constructed on the basis of what is known as the architectural interference and the incorporation of mirrors, lights and shadows, that evokes a dark forest with a glowing, distant fern flower.
A significant aspect of the project is the audience interaction with the space of the installation, experiencing the effect of spatial confusion and the fragmentation of reality, which pulsates, repeats and reflects itself. An integral element of the installation is the soundtrack prepared by Maciek Sienkiewicz.
Curator: Monika Szewczyk.
The exhibition runs at the Białystok Arsenał Gallery from June 17 - July 17, 2011.
Arsenał Gallery
ul. Adam Mickiewicz 2
Białystok
Source: press materials, www.galeria-arsenal.pl