Friday,
19 April
Paweł Althamer and Artur Żmijewski are among the most recognizable Polish artists. They met in the studio of Professor Grzegorz Kowalski, known as Kowalnia, at the Sculpture Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. They made their debut in the nineties and since then they have been part of the canon of Polish and world art. Since graduation, they have stayed in touch, are friends, as well as collaborate and exhibit together. During their joint residence in Japan, they started a series of works on paper, using ink and stamps. They have been creating collages since 2017.
Collages are made of fragments cut from albums about art, photo and anatomical albums, which the artists put together in surprising and dense compositions. The multi-layered painting works have a clear color and texture. Body, nude, extermination, abstraction are some of the themes appearing at the exhibition, but none of them dominate. Despite the fact that, over the years of struggle in the field of critical art, artists have accustomed the public to calls for an uprising and revolution, we will not find any politics in the collages. Its place is taken over by reflection on art. The works require concentration, insight into the context, and sensitivity.
We recommend a film by Rafał Żurek, which documents one day of artistic work by Paweł Althamer and Artur Żmijewski at the Galeria Sztuki im. Jan Tarasin in Kalisz.
Paweł Althamer – sculpture, performance, installation, videoHis work is diverse in terms of media and form. He creates sculptural self-portraits, appears in performances and videos, wants to experience the materiality of the body and draw his own mental boundaries. Through actions to which he engages entire communities, he wants to create communities, confront people with himself through art. He questions the importance of monumental monuments due to the scale of his projects and the randomness of the materials.
Artur Żmijewski – photography, film, videoIt calls for the conscious participation of art in social life. In her works, she exposes the world of “other” people, often unnoticed. He records their everyday life, showing how their physical and mental limitations doom them to social marginalization. By initiating experiments with the participation of selected groups, he strives to understand difficult experiences and taboo topics.
Below we present the movie that was shown on the closing date. The film was shot and edited by Tomek Wolff
EXHIBITION DURATION: September 6 – October 16, 2021
The exhibition Polish School of Collage is an event accompanying
The 61st Kalisz Theater Meetings – the Festival of Acting Arts