Aleksandra Kubiak You’re a Cute One, Sweetie

10.06 – 02.07.2017 Aleksandra Kubiak You’re a Cute One, Sweetie

Zachęta – National Gallery of Art

curator: Marta Miś

You’re a Cute One, Sweetie is a very personal film, resulting from the artist’s experience related to the tragic death of her mother Małgorzata. Aleksandra Kubiak combines video-performance with documentary film: a recording of the meetings with the actress who is about to play the role of her mother, and her ‘being’ Małgorzata for one day. The construction of the film is precise: four meetings with actress Elżbieta Lisowska-Kopeć, conversations, preparations for the role and common performance. Despite the fact that the production was based on a drafted script, the artist did not reveal to the crew the most important thing — the cause of her mother’s death. Thus the interaction between the characters determines the dynamics of individual scenes.

In You’re a Cute One, Sweetie Aleksandra Kubiak is in the process of self-healing. The tragedy, trauma, deeply hidden truth, shame, emotions and longing for mother are revealed. But there is no exhibitionism here; the purpose of the exposure is to overcome fears, and ultimately — to heal. The intimacy of the film makes us enter into an intimate situation. The author leads us form the painful experience (the reality) to a fiction which has cathartic power. The personal dimension of Kubiak’s film and her courage are moving. She pulls the viewers out of their safe position of observer and forces them to reflect also upon their emotions. Thanks to this, You’re a Cute One, Sweetie can have a therapeutic power, pointing to the positive dimension of facing one’s own fears.

Aleksandra Kubiak (born 1978) — visual artist. She studied Art Education at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Zielona Góra (1999–2004). PhD in Fine Arts from the Faculty of Multimedia Communication at the Universitu of Fine Arts in Poznań, in 2016 (under the supervision of prof. Izabella Gustowska and prof. Marek Wasilewski). In 2001, together with Karolina Wiktor, she created the Chief Judge Group, and performed till 2013. Since 2011, she has been performing solo. She creates video, performances with the participation of the public and invited guests, objects. She is interested of social impact of art. Her works were presented at numerous national and international exhibitions. In the years 2013–2015, she taught classes at the Faculty of Arts at the Institute of Visual Arts of the University of Zielona Góra. Curator of the annual cycle of events Trzy, Czte, Ry! Performance! (2015). Collaborates with BWA Gallery in Zielona Góra and the Salony Foundation. Currently lives and works in Zielona Góra.

Elżbieta Lisowska-Kopeć (born 1954) — actress, graduate of Polish studies, animator, author. In 1980, she graduated from Polish Fhilology at the University of Wrocław, and passed and extramural acting exam. From 1974 to 1994, she was associated with the Kalambur Theater in Wrocław, and participated in organization of the International Open Theater Meetings. Editor of three monographs of Kalambur (1982, 1998 and 2014). In the years 1997–1998, she took part in theater project called Kompania Fredrowska [Fredro Company] and Teatr 3 Krzesła [3 Chairs Theatre] in Wrocław. The originator of the Festival of Possible Acting Talents — FeTA in Wrocław (since 2000).  She collaborated with the cultural department of Polish Radio Wrocław. Between 2008–2015, actress of the Lubiski Theatre in Zielona Góra. Since 2013, she has been running theatre workshops for disabled youth in Zielona Góra. In 2014, she played the role of Wiera Gran in the performative reading of Agata Tuszyńska’s play at the Cricoteka in Krakow. In 2015, she directed the play Między name dobrze jest by Dorota Masłowska in a theatre in Białystok.


You’re a Cute One, Sweetie, 2016, 40 min.
directed by Aleksandra Kubiak
cast: Aleksandra Kubiak, Elżbieta Lisowska-Kopeć
cinematography by Krzysztof Gawałkiewicz
film editing by Krzysztof Gawałkiewicz, Aleksandra Kubiak
sound: Dariusz Kawecki, Piotr Spychała
​makeup: Natalia Koziróg, Maria Kaczmarowska
music by Tarwater (Bernd Jestram, Ronald Lippok)
produced by Gallery BWA in Zielona Góra, Aleksandra Kubiak, Dariusz Kawecki

Works on exhibition

  • Zdjęcie pracy Aleksandra Kubiak „ Portrait with the deceased mother”, 2016, in cooperation with Elżbieta Lisowska - Kopeć and Tomasz Pastyrczyk
    Aleksandra Kubiak „ Portrait with the deceased mother”, 2016, in cooperation with Elżbieta Lisowska - Kopeć and Tomasz Pastyrczyk
  • Zdjęcie pracy Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
    Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
  • Zdjęcie pracy Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
    Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
  • Zdjęcie pracy Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
    Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
  • Zdjęcie pracy Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016
    Aleksandra Kubiak, still from the film "You're a Cute One, Sweetie", 2016

Aleksandra Kubiak. Trailer

Related media
  • Grafika obiektu:
    mediateka / audio
  • Grafika obiektu: Zachęta. May, June 2017
    mediateka / folders / Texts
    Zachęta. May, June 2017
    Magazine
  • Grafika obiektu: Aleksandra Kubiak. You’re a Cute One, Sweetie
    mediateka / posters
    Aleksandra Kubiak. You’re a Cute One, Sweetie
  • Grafika obiektu: Aleksandra Kubiak. You’re a Cute One, Sweetie
    mediateka / video-documentation
    Aleksandra Kubiak. You’re a Cute One, Sweetie
Related events
  • Grafika wydarzenia: You’re a Cute One, Sweetie. Meeting with Aleksandra Kubiak
    29.06.2017 (Thu) 18:15
    You’re a Cute One, Sweetie. Meeting with Aleksandra Kubiak
    Zachęta – National Gallery of ArtZachęta
  • Grafika wydarzenia: Aleksandra Kubiak. You’re a Cute One, Sweetie. Film translated to Polish Sign Language
    30.06.2017 (Fri) 18:00
    Aleksandra Kubiak. You’re a Cute One, Sweetie. Film translated to Polish Sign Language
    Zachęta – National Gallery of ArtZachęta

Information

Aleksandra Kubiak
You’re a Cute One, Sweetie
10.06 – 02.07.2017

Zachęta – National Gallery of Art
pl. Małachowskiego 3, 00-916 Warsaw
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Godziny otwarcia:
Tuesday – Sunday 12–8 p.m.
Thursday – free entry
ticket office is open until 7.30 p.m.