Przemek Krzakiewicz's project combines portrait photography, multichannel projection and elements of the theory of chaos in order to create an interactive installation that makes an inspired statement on society and culture
Krzakiewicz has done a series of portraits over a period of time, selecting various people to pose in props and costumes that infer adherence to a particular subculture, faith, pastime or ethnic minority. These photographs are then fed into a computer programme that creates random subsets from among all these diverse subjects, placing two seemingly different "kinds" of people in one place at one time, unifying them in some way. Detaching his subjects from their everyday communities, the artist places them into a new context based on an entirely random selection.
The Common Ground project goes further, inviting visitors to put a halt to the stream of images and freeze a particular frame - giving the viewer control of the final combination in a process that marries a systematic sort of chaos with elements of the so-called theory of six degrees of separation.
Regardless of social class or geographical distance between us, by activating a chain of acquaintances we can bring the President of the United States shoulder to shoulder with a shoeshine boy on the outskirts of Mumbai. According to this principle, we are all equal and equally accessible. A laughing girl in a bikini and a devout Hasid, a football fan and a Swiss art collector, a Dachshund admirer and a participant of demonstrations in Kiev. There are more similarities than differences between them. Each of the portrayed people is committed to their group, positioning them in relation to others and specifying their place in the universe. The common denominator may be an idea or a place: a music festival, the funeral of the Pope or re-creation of a historic battle. Ultimately, however, it is the viewer who with one gesture creates new "subsets" of people who frequently have a totally different outlook but whose encounter is equally possible and improbable.
Przemek "El Elmo" Krzakiewicz (born 1975 in Kraków) is a photographer and artist who has shown his work at various exhibitions around the world. His work is characterised by an attention to the everyday, endowing objects and subjects with unusual aspects that and place them in a novel framework. He studied at at the Łódz Film School. In his work he applies scientific theories, often flawed or incorrect, meant to present sociological observations and the ability to clearly portray representatives of social groups undergoing economic, social or cultural transformation. He lives and works in Kraków.
The Imago Mundi Foundation was established in 2005 by documentary photographers living and working in Kraków, aimed at spreading knowledge about contemporary photography and other visual arts, along with the promotion of non-conventional techniques and new media exhibitions.
Curators: Liudmila Motsiuk, Natalia Manzhali (Media Art Lab)
Coordination: Małgorzata Swaryczewska (Fundacja Sztuka dla Sztuki)
Date: 21st of October - 8th of November, 2011 (open-air presentation: 21st-23rd October along Andriyivsky Street)
Venue: Soviart Contemporary Art Centre, 22-A Andriyivsky Street, Kiev
Organiser: Imago Mundi Foundation, Visavis.pl, CSW Media Art Lab
Partners: Fundacja Sztuka dla Sztuki (Art for Art Foundation, Polish Cultural Institute in Kiev, Soviart Contemporary Art Centre
This project is cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute
See more at www.commonground.pl