Design & Culture by Ed

Goshka Macuga’s “Madame Blavatsky”

The exhibition “Surrealism. Other Myths” (curated by Hanna Doroszuk) that has just opened at the National Museum of Warsaw is coinciding with the one-hundredth anniversary of André Breton publishing his famous “Manifesto of Surrealism“. The show however refutes the orthodox thinking on Surrealism as a historical art movement having a defined time-frame and fixed geographic boundaries. Instead it treats the movement as a global, inclusive and diverse phenomenon that’s reflected in Polish art, modern and contemporary. The exhibition’s historical narrative begins with works from the interwar period and ends with the output of artists connected with the international “Phases” movement, founded in the 1950s.

The exhibition is a unique opportunity to discover and admire works by more than sixty artists, including Marek Włodarski, Marek Piasecki, Jerzy Kujawski, Erna Rosenstein, Władysław Hasior, Zbigniew Makowski, Teofil Ociepka and Max Ernst. Their pieces exemplify the range of techniques typical of the Surrealists, like decalcomania, grattage and frottage. Also on view are examples of Surrealist objects and a large selection of photographs. In addition to items from the NMW collection, the exhibition features works on loan from other Polish museums and private collections. “Surrealism. Other Myths” proves that surrealism is breathing and well alive.

The part of the exhibition that drew my attention the most was Dominika Olszowy’s – one of the most talented contemporary, Polish artists out there – “Nocturne“. The artist has devised a quasi-domestic space inspired by nocturne painting tradition and by the world of night-time experiences. Permeating the room arranged by the artist is an emotional tension manifesting in physical responses like muscles tightening and bodies freezing in motionless. The objects and sculptures comprising “Nocturne” thus reside in a dead space where action is rendered impossible and the only escape is to wait out the night. In this space where the boundary between dream and reality dissolves, anxiety takes on a material and viscous form. Yet, deep in the crannies, a faint glimmer of the approaching sunrise breaks through. Experiencing this artwork reminded me why I love art. Make sure to follow Olszowy on Instagram!