Photograph of a performance at the exhibition. Photo by Marek Krzyżanek, Agencja Medium
The exhibition puts art in the hands of the public to create a show about the public for the public
Zachęta's exhibition halls became a space for an exchange of ideas and thoughts, both in a 'traditional' way (art pieces, lectures, discussions), as well as in an interactive manner (workshops, art interventions). The exhibition reveals the mechanisms through which the gallery operates, and demonstrates the processes involved in the preparation and running of an exhibition. A survey, created in cooperation with the sociologist Joanna Erbel, carried out amongst Zachęta's spectators investigates, amongst others, how the gallery, and its exhibitions and staff are perceived by visitors.
The project's title, "No, No, I Hardly Ever Miss a Show", is a quote taken from a report concerning Zachęta and its public, produced this year by students of sociology, under the supervision of Mikołaj Lewicki, on the basis of a larger study regarding art galleries and their audience. This phrase, taken out of context, can be used to describe what seems to be an ideal viewer: one who is dedicated to the gallery to such an extent that he/she attends almost every exhibition. However, under the surface this viewer is nothing but a mere spectator, who makes no selection of what they see and does not engage in a more in-depth way in any of the art shows (this would be difficult given the number of exhibitions attended). This viewer comes to exhibitions purely for the sake of coming, always being a passive visitor and never an active participant.
This phrase also describes the situation of the curators who work on a full-time basis at the gallery and who therefore by definition are present at almost every exhibition in Zachęta. Thus the curators look at the exhibitions that take place from a totally different, in-depth perspective. They would also like to know how artists, who form a peculiar group of spectators. The peculiarity of artists is based on their duality, on the one hand they are creators and active participants, on the other, they can be also considered passive viewers.
This is why the curators announced an open call – in which they invited artists to submit their artworks and projects together with a completed questionnaire. The elements comprising the will contribute to the image of the gallery and its public. The title phrase is the starting point for asking a question: who really visits exhibitions at the Zachęta National Gallery of Art and how they do so?
Besides presenting the works themselves, the exhibition allowed also for organising a temporary space for a time bank - the e-flux time/bank started by Anton Vidokle and Julieta Aranda. Everyone can exchange their time and skills with others here, be them artists, museum staff or visitors.
Artists: Kuba Bąkowski, Tymek Borowski and Paweł Sysiak, Dorota Buczkowska, Hannah Downing, Jordi Ferreiro, Michał Grochowiak, Jeppe Hein, Igor Krenz & Tomek Saciłowski, Heike Langsdorf for radical_hope, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Daria Malicka, Daniel Malone, Aleksander Mielczyński, Joaquin Gasgonia Palencia, Amandine Quillon-Nowacki, Bianka Rolando, Jennifer Rubell, Konrad Smoleński, Dannielle Tegeder, Tina Willgren.
Curators: Anna Tomczak, Stanisław Welbel.
Sponsors of the gallery: PERI, Lidex, Netia technological partner of the exhibition Samsung sponsor of the exhibition Krogal sponsors of
The exhibition "No, No, I Hardly Ever Miss a Show" is open from the 10th of December 2011 until the 12th of February 2012.
Zachęta National Gallery of Art
Plac Małachowskiego 3
00-916 Warsaw
tel. (+48 22) 827 58 54, 556 96 00
fax (+48 22) 827 78 86
www.zacheta.art.pl
Source: press release, PAP