Works on display at the exhibition include Deborah Hirsch's film The Last Supper, featuring the Brazilian artist's portraits of ordinary criminals in the form of coloured geometric compositions with blurred facial features. Hirsch calls the portrayed criminals the apostles and the title itself refers explicitly to the Bible. For the apostles, the Last Supper was a solemn act, for a criminal it is the last meal before execution.
Another work on display is a drawing by Zbigniew Libera titled A Criminal's Tomb. It refers to two serial killers, Stanisław Modzelewski and Zdzisław Marchwicki, who were executed. In designing his monumental tombstones, the artist proposes a surprising solution – instead of covering up the presence of criminals in cemeteries, it should be highlighted. A realistic sculpture of a hanged man is a characteristic mark of this.
Also presented at the exhibition is the Lars Laumann film Shut up, Child, This Ain’t Bingo. It tells the story of a young Norwegian girl who is in love with Carlton Turner – a man on death row. His crime is not mentioned - the man turns out to be more important than his deeds. For the protagonists, Carlton is "innocent" and no one doubts his worth as a human being. This approach gives their life joy and lightness. The atmosphere of the film is imbued with great confidence in the goodness and inner beauty of people.
The exhibition Crime in Art will also feature the work of artists such as Andy Warhol, Larry Clark, Virginie Barré, Teresa Margolles, Agnieszka Polska, Dorota Nieznalska, Andrzej Mleczko (a famous Polish cartoonist), Anna Orlikowska, Rafał Bujnowski, and Jan Matejko.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive publication in both English and Polish which develops the themes of the presented works and analyses the key issues arising from the relationship of crime and art. In addition to theoretical texts by Noël Carroll, Bruno Hołyst, Bogusław Habrat, Colin Wilson and Maria Anna Potocka, the catalogue will contain a richly illustrated section devoted to artists and works shown at the exhibition.
The exhibition opening is scheduled for May 15, 2014.
Sources: MOCAK's press materials; ed. Natalia Zuch, may 2014, translated: Katarzyna Maksimiuk, 12.05.2014