Karolina Żyniewicz — ‘Fear of Darkness’ — within the framework of Biennial of Art for Children
“Fear of Darkness”
within the framework of Biennial of Art for Children Katowice 2011
Fairy tale characters are usually given a dangerous mission to complete. It's the same with “Fear of Darkness” — a fairy tale designed in the form of an exhibition, based on the experience of a journey. At the first level, the task will be to undertake a tour from one gallery to another, which will be made easier with a map showing the venues where works by individual artists can be found. At the second level: setting out on an imaginary journey, stimulated by works of art, which in this case function as magic objects typical of fairy tales.
The role of the title darkness, usually associated with experiences of chaos, initiation and wilderness, will prove particularly significant. As fairy tale heroes descend into the underground world, to explore caves, dungeons, tunnels, thick forests and other dark territories, they decide to temporarily accept unknown and often dangerous rules. The dramatic transformation that takes place is supposed to make them stronger and more resistant. The fairy tale dynamics demand that they accept the presence of the evil, the hidden and the wicked as essentially complementary to the sphere of cordiality and safety. This discovery helps perceive reality as a continuum between these two poles, as well as balance between them.
Fear of darkness, provoked in the privacy of the gallery, will empower young audiences to deal with their unconscious fear of growing up. The collection of works on display, which arouse both interest and anxiety, is intended to encourage them to create their own narratives.
Artists taking part in the exhibition include:
Basia Bańda (Sector I Gallery, CKK)
Bartek Buczek (Sector I Gallery, CKK)
Łukasz Jastrubczak (Sector I Gallery, CKK)
Marek Kuś (the space of the city Katowice)
Piotr Lutyński (happening in the space of the city)
Karolina Szymanowska (Sector I Gallery, CKK)
Erwina Ziomkowska (Sector I Gallery, CKK)
Karolina Żyniewicz (Small Space, BWA Contemporary Art Gallery in Katowice)
Curator of the exhibition of adult artists' works: Marta Lisok
The originator of the Biennial and the curator of the children's exhibition “Initiation into the world”: Ewa Kokot
___
The Biennial is subsidised by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
‘Inessentials’ — book summary of exhibition cycles The project ‘Inessentials’, which is planned for the whole year, involving artists, designers and the local community in a series of...
Małgorzata Szymankiewicz — ‘Low visibility’ in ‘small space’ En eye should be quick and good. There is no time for raising eyebrows, for closing eyelids – it might be too late. In past times one needed time for a...
Bartosz Kokosiński — ‘Some pictures do not want to be painted’ Bartosz Kokosiński's most recent paintings look as if something has just wriggled under their surface, stretching the canvas and disfiguring the frames with...
Maciej Nawrot — ‘Days go by in a rush like wild horses from a hill’ I decided to paint it, says Maciek. We can feel that something can happen within certain selected frames, but we are still not sure whether we are in the right...
When Karolina Żyniewicz organises space, she doesn't clearly mark the focal point. The objects are laid out and hung in accordance with her own geometric rules. She settles down for the exhibition like a tourist in a hotel room. Her fragile installation is a kind of a system designed specifically for this place. It is a variation on the motif of seemingly cosy home interiors familiar from paintings by 17th century Dutch masters. This time the audience is allowed full access to the space. They can enter and examine the consistency of the objects that they come across, they can investigate the relations between them, pry open all hiding places, ferret around the attic and the basement. They can deal with the things that are normally pushed away into nooks and crannies, swept under the carpet: unwelcome, scary and dirty. The audience can reach places that are unaccessible to intellect and symmetry.
Her works are often built using organic elements. The artist treats these with glues and solvents, and seals them between layers of plastic wrap, which enables their preservation. While reconstructing the dark places of a body, she does peculiar mnemonic exercises. She attempts to evoke the uncharted territories of what we call I, as if she were helping police draw an identi-kit portrait. Unable to focus on the details, she takes devious routes, fantasises and fills in the gaps, getting caught in her own patterns. She repeats configurations of elements and experiences. Her testimony is full of contradictions. Her tale about a body interior resembles gossip blown up by successive narrators and changing its shape, becoming exaggerated.
She does not take advantage of X-rays, anatomical atlases, smear tests, thermometers or cardiographs. She stretches out her hand to have a look at it against the light, in an attempt to penetrate its structure. The hand that she looks at is dark and inscrutable.
Marta Lisok
Curator
