Maciek Stępiński, "Sclerosis" Neon
The exhibition of contemporary artists from Poland and Europe presents a narrative of the evolution of Polish art post-1989 that is aimed at freeing works of contemporary artists from the typical paradigms and concepts instated by critics and institutions.
The Marxis statement "I do not know why, but they do it" provides a starting point for breaking the boundaries of current trends in art by pursuing individual, independent directions that are rooted in each artist's consciousness. Symbolism and reality and closely tied together and neither is allowed to overtake the other. The show presents a collective that extends beyond ideological simplification, avoiding trends and concepts in contemporary art and striving towards the subconscious world of artistic inspiration and gesture. Featured artists include Grzegorz Dróźd, Karen Mirza and Brad Butler, Javier Rodriguez, Konrad Smoleński, Maciek Stępiński and Radek Szlaga.
Polish art after 1989 has been subjected to processes of systematisation based on concepts constructed by critics and art historians. These concepts are, in turn, propagated by exhibitions held by the likes of Warsaw's Centre for Contemporary Art, such as recent shows Anti - body, Scene 2000, Pop-elite and Indeed, Young People are Realists. Art institutions define the so-called framework for critical art, pop-banality and the new realism as they attempt to establish a history and narrative for Polish art after the fall of communism.
The situation mirrors that described by Anda Rottenberg in "Art in Poland between 1945-2005" as the implementation of familiar paradigms and concepts gives way to simplification across the art world. Of course, as Slavoj Žižek, indicates, a certain level of categorisation with regard to the names of concepts, movements, phenomena and media is necessary - without it, there could be no order. Yet here, the focus is rather on the here and now of the artist, his or her own vision and narrative - bringing the viewer straight into the experience of each work without the barriers of context or category, such as Radek Szlaga's grotesque universe of trolls, pigs and troglodytes - a world without boundaries or Konrad Smoleński's multimedia installations in which diverse audio and visual aesthetics combine in a way that exemplifies the artist's deep awareness of the medium, its substance and the virtuosity of the artist
The current exhibition has been put together in cooperation with the Zmiana Organizacji Ruchu (Changing Traffic) group. ZOR is not a gallery, but rather an institution that brings together artists, critics, curators and people from all areas of the art world in order to promote fruitful evolution. A. Łukasiak and G. A. Drozd are the movement's founders (in 2003), working to create an active, experimental space, an area conducive to practicing art on every level. The show was previously held at London's Waterside Gallery in early fall.
Madrid's Galeria Blanca Soto was established in 2000, presenting the accomplishments of over a dozen artists from around Europe with an independent programme of exhibitions and special projects.
Curator: Peter Sikora
Date: 10th of November - 2nd of December, 2011.
Venue: Galería Blanca Soto, C/Alameda 18, 28014 Madrid
Organisers: Zmiana Organizacji Ruchu, Galería Blanca Soto Madrid in November 2011.
Project cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Insitute, Waterside Contemporary
Also see: They don't know why but they keep doing it - Post Ideological Perspectives in Art - London