Zbigniew Warpechowski It
20.09 – 11.11.2014 Zbigniew Warpechowski It
Zachęta – National Gallery of Art
artist: Zbigniew Warpechowski
curators: Joanna Kordjak-Piotrowska, Dominik Kuryłek
collaboration: Katarzyna Kołodziej, Zuzanna Sękowska
... the important thing is the constant search for what is grander and better than me
Zbigniew Warpechowski
The exhibition in Zachęta is the first such extensive presentation of the work of Zbigniew Warpechowski – a precursor of performance art in Poland and one of the first in the world to work in this genre – presenting documentation of several dozen of the actions realized by the artist over the course of the last 50 years.
The authors of the exhibition are aware of the paradox implicit in presenting in a gallery an art that is impossible to reproduce and ephemeral: one that is grounded in the uniqueness of what is experienced by the artist and the spectators. Documentation is merely a medium allowing a performance to have a more prolonged existence in time and space; it is not, however, the artist’s goal, as testified by the often poor technical quality of the video recordings made during actions. It is for this reason that the exhibition presents first and foremost those recordings which make it possible to get a sense of the artist’s striving to achieve authentic experiences and his sense of the metaphysical character of reality, as well as the desire to involve others in this process. Along with photographs and videos documenting performance actions, the exhibition also presents the texts the artist wrote to accompany them and preparatory sketches, as well as the props and costumes that also played a significant role in his actions. At various locations within the exhibition, a number of sites have been arranged in which Warpechowski’s performances could potentially be repeated.
The exhibition is conceived in such a way that the passage through it will relate to particular stages of a performance event: preparation (quiet reflection), realization (expressive or implosive action) and the release of tension (a contemplation of the event from a perspective of time).
This review presentation reveals Warpechowski’s work as surprisingly diverse and multi-thematic: from visual poetry and conceptual works, and works inspired by Eastern philosophy relating to the concept of “Nothing”, to realizations making use of the expressivity of a body sometimes submitted to extreme tests, aggression or auto-aggression and political engagement.
Zbigniew Warpechowski
It
20.09 – 11.11.2014
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.