Group show
Hi Stranger
30.11–29.12.2024
pl. Hallera 6
Jan Baszak
Jędrzej Bieńko
Kornel Leśniak
Martyna Miller
Paulina Pawłowska
Planeta
Karolina Szwed
Wiktoria Walendzik
Sebastian Winkler
wtorek–sobota 13.00–18.00 /
Tuesday–Saturday 1–6 pm
Projekt realizowany we współpracy
z Urzędem Dzielnicy Praga-Północ m.st. Warszawy
Project supported by the Praga-Północ District Office of the City of Warsaw
Tekst: Michał Grzegorzek
Do works of art look back at us when we watch them in exhibitions? Do they think about us as we leave the gallery, indifferent or thrilled, to immerse ourselves in the real-world matters of streets, shops, and homes? Do they return our gaze, like the character from Kirsten Lepore's film? That protagonist doesn't just look; they speak from the screen directly to us, the viewers, the strangers. They lie stretched out on their stomach, relaxed, casting a flirtatious glance over their shoulder. Before telling us they've missed us, that it's been a while, and that they've been thinking about us, they greet us with a phrase that hints at the nature of our relationship, with a brief, intriguing "Hi Stranger".This seemingly innocent greeting opens up a space to reflect on the relationship between works of art and their audience — on the location of the eyes and the direction of the gaze. Is it through our gaze that images come to life in a unique performance? Does the life of objects unfold without the presence of an audience?The "Hi Stranger" exhibition explores the tensions inherent in showing and looking, seeking a reciprocal bond in this encounter. What happens when contact is made? Do we stop being strangers to one another? Or is it precisely anonymity and impermanence that ensure a successful relationship? What is exchanged in this interaction — what kinds of information, emotions, or gazes?
Text: Michał Grzegorzek
Translation: Maja Wańkowicz-Siwecka
Karolina Szwed
Soft Trigger
23.11.2024
Londyńska 13
wtorek–sobota 13.00–18.00 /
Tuesday–Saturday 1–6 pm
+48 517 091 677
galeria@whoispola.com
Artystka opowiada traumatyczne historie, proponując przy tym zmianę ich dynamiki: z roli ofiary przechodzi w pozycję obserwatora lub nawet osoby sprawczej, podejmującej decyzje. Odnosi się do sytuacji autobiograficznych na zasadzie „szczęśliwego niedopowiedzenia”, interesuje ją to, co dziecinnie prawdziwe i naiwne. Do opisu trudnych sytuacji podchodzi z delikatnością i czułością, przez co stara się wydobyć ich piękno. Swoje postaci, skonfliktowane i niepewne, osadza w świecie zbudowanym z nieprzyjaznych, lecz oswojonych elementów.
– Alyssa Davis
Who is Pola gallery will present Karolina Szwed's first solo exhibition. There, we will find motifs characteristic of the artist's works: ribbons and insects; semi-transparent spaces in muted colors and the recurring sun, which appears as a bad omen and an opponent, at one point even becoming a victim of an act of violence. An important narrative here is the change of dynamics and leaving the position of the victim, telling traumatic stories from the position of an observer or even a person who is self-agent and makes decisions for oneself.
The artist talks about autobiographical situations on the principle of a fortunate understatement, she is interested in things that are childishly true and naive, she tries to treat tough situations so delicately and with tenderness that they may start to seem beautiful. She wants her characters to be conflicted and uncertain, she builds a world from things that are unfriendly, but in a sense familiar, therefore tamed.
– Alyssa Davis
Soft Trigger
2024
Nelly Agassi,
Marianna Rodziewicz
Żar / Ardor
26.09–26.10.2024
Londyńska 13
Wystawę otwarta po wcześniejszym umówieniu /
Exhibition open by appointment:
+48 517 091 677
galeria@whoispola.com
Ardor, 2024
kadr z animacji / still from animation installation
animacja / animation: Maya Raviv
dźwięk / sound: Nati Zeidenstadt
Monster Prosthesis, 2024
Jędrzej Bieńko
Człowiek z dwiema głowami /
The Two-Headed Human
26.09–19.10.2024
pl. Hallera 6
wtorek–sobota 13.00–18.00 /
Tuesday–Saturday 1–6 pm
Projekt realizowany we współpracy
z Urzędem Dzielnicy Praga-Północ m.st. Warszawy
Dwie twarze 2 / Two Faces 2, 2024
akryl na płótnie / acrylic on canvas
200 × 170 cm