The exhibition is an attempt to provide an alternative perspective on photographic archives. It is the result of the cooperation of four artists with the archival collections of partner institutions. Aneta Grzeszykowska, Dorota Buczkowska, Paweł Szypulski and Jakub Certowicz created new works in which archives are seen as spaces of untold stories and serve as a point of departure for critical reflection.In the process of working with photographic collections, handing the photographs to contemporary artists might be the last phase of the process. Artistic interventions open new levels of interpretation for known materials. They also provide an occasion to display photographs which had been locked away in archives and storage rooms.
The exhibition presents different methods of artistic work with photographic archives. These strategies are above all a result of the individual interests of the artists, but they were also conditioned by different types of collections the artists worked with. Three of the archives were regional institutions documenting local community history, and one collects artistic photography.
The works of Jakub Certowicz and Paweł Szypulski focus around the topic of the archive itself – both as a place and an idea. Certowicz documents three different archives, including the regional collections in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer. By confronting documentary photos of interiors with the contents of the archives, he tries to find the rule behind the madness of collecting and asks the question of how much will remain from these extensive archives. In an auto-ironic project, Paweł Szypulski looks at the activities of artists and curators fascinated by collecting old photographs and shows the mechanisms behind their actions. He is himself a collector, so he also reflects on his own methods of work, his extensive collections of books and photographs, as well as over two and a half million photos of Telemark Museum in Skien, Norway.
Dorota Buczkowska used photographs from the Archive of Sogn og Fjordane in Leikanger. By manipulating the graphics she created a narrative about women, madness, and the harsh landscape of the Norwegian North. She cooperated with Anna Theiss, who wrote a series of short texts providing advice on how to survive emotional turmoil by the Norwegian waters.
Aneta Grzeszczykowska prepared a series of collages using the works of Wojciech Zamecznik from the archives of the Foundation of the Archaeology of Photography. Grzeszykowska chose works by Zamecznik in which one can only see fragments of the model’s body and face. This extends the frame and shows what could be found be- yond it. She takes photos of herself to “complete” the portrayed body, while at the same time suggesting that the model could have made the photos all by herself. Grzeszykowska is interested in the role that photography plays in the creation and documentation of a person’s identity as well as the way an image changes depending on who takes a photograph.
The exhibition will be accompanied by artists meetings and several publications.
where: Kisielewski’s Room, Palace of Culture and Science, pl. Defilad 1, Warsaw
opening: 27th of April 2016 (Wednesday), 7 p.m.
exhibition open: 28th of April – 20th of May, 12 a.m. – 8 p.m.
MEETINGS WITH ARTISTS:
where: barStudio, Palace of Culture and Science, pl. Defilad 1, Warsaw28th of April 2016 (Thursday)
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. – meeting with Paweł Szypulski
7 p.m. – 8 p.m. – meeting with Jakub Certowicz
leading: Jakub Śwircz29th of April 2016 (Friday)
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. – meeting with Dorota Buczkowska
leading: Iwona Kurz
7 p.m. – 8 p.m. – meeting with Aneta Grzeszykowska