Social shifts have shaped the contemporary man as being impossibly stretched between a desire to be oneself and the need to feel accepted. We are not perfect, not always in top form, but we already know that weakness is acceptable. Inherent to the pursuit of health and happiness is a spectre of failure and disappointment. Fitness regimes can lead to self-accusations and self-condemnation, and eventually to a sense of disappointment and guilt. We discover with time that the boundary between that which is good for us and that which is not is fuzzy. But a need of exercise is not always dictated by fashion and does not have to be a sociological proof of the development of capitalism; sometimes we jog because it simply makes us feel better.

Man, body, and movement, the experience of physicality, presence, cooperation, interaction with other people have all come into artists’ focus. We have recently been witnessing another turn towards performance art, as well as renewed institutional interest in dance and choreography. Performance-based exhibitions by artists such as Tino Seghal, Boris Charmatz, or Anne Imhof have been on view around the world in recent years, including in Poland. New York’s Metropolitan Museum runs the Museum Workout, ‘part gallery tour, part dance performance, part workout,’ Berlin Biennale 2016 featured the Open Workout, a ‘fun, effective and informative training session, with an emphasis on foundational movements,’ and both Brooklyn Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum host yoga classes.

Better Self  is a reflection on the contemporary culture of individualism, its causes, effects, and side effects. Featuring actions, performance pieces, training sessions, and public workshops, the Zachęta space will become a stage, a gym, a yoga room, a therapy room, and a discussion site. Rather than merely serving to present art works, the gallery will be filled with people and actions. Throughout the seven weeks of the exhibition, visitors will be able to view the shows of Dominika Olszowy’s little theatre, attend training sessions and diet consultations with Nina Cristante, participate in workshops, rehearsals, and performances organised by the choreographers of Centrum w Ruchu [Centre in Movement], experience a hypnosis session with Xavier Cha, learn to cry with Cally Spooner, meet Marta Ziółek’s Pamela character, undergo therapy with Jennifer Lacey, and practice jumping with Paweł Sakowicz.