calendario eventi  :: 

X

26/2/2010

Early Years

KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin

Artists: Wojciech Bąkowski, Yael Bartana, Tania Bruguera, Oskar Dawicki, Sharon Hayes, Sanja Iveković, Daniel Knorr, KwieKulik, Zbigniew Libera, Anna Molska, Paulina Ołowska, Agnieszka Polska, Joanna Rajkowska, Ahlam Shibli, Jan Smaga, Anna Zaradny, Artur Żmijewski

Curated by Joanna Mytkowska, Sebastian Cichocki, Ana Janevski, Katarzyna Karwańska
Presented by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw

Contemporary art is having its moment in Poland these days. Museums are being built, and new institutions, public as well as private, are emerging. Some artists' names have become household words, and their practice—previously ignored or misinterpreted—benefits from a wider understanding and acceptance. The fact that the most central tract of land in the Polish capital will soon see the construction of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw speaks for itself.

The exhibition Early Years at KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin wanders through the fields of institutional self-reflection. It searches for terms apt to describe the emergence of a museum of art in the present, of actual artistic, political and social discourses. A museum established amid the collapse of meta-narratives, aware of the institutional critique which had made the museum's hegemonic nature a subject of dispute for decades, and, finally, familiar with the realities of the economic crisis—such a museum must rely not only on long-term strategic planning, but also contend with the moods, uncertainties and intuitions of the moment.

The "early years" of the title usually describe that unique moment of an artistic biography when one remains naive and is only starting to learn from one's own errors, but is at the same time at the height of one's authenticity, independence and heroism. The show is based on the concept of moving slightly into the future and using that futurist perspective to look back to the time of the great beginning, in a search for a history fitting for a founding myth.

For this exhibition the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw sought out the collaboration of artists with whom it had previously worked in its pioneering days. The museum shared its concerns with the group, and they reciprocated by sharing their expectations of the new institution. The final product is a show that invites the viewer to scrutinize in retrospection the moment when everything is still possible, that moment of tense balance between hope and disillusionment, between engagement and compromise. This is the real protagonist of the show.

Text by Sebastian Cichocki

At the moment contemporary art is enjoying a resurgence in Poland. Museums are being built, and public as well as private institutions are mushrooming. Artists’ names are becoming common knowledge, their practice, which was previously ignored or misinterpreted, today is widely understood and accepted. Much can be said for the fact that the most central tract of land in the Polish capital will soon see the construction of the Museum of Modern Art.

However, the "Early Years" exhibition is not a report from the construction site. On the contrary, it focuses on the field of institutional self-reflection. It searches for terms fit to describe the emergence of a museum of art in the present, artistic, political and social discourses. A museum which is being established amid the collapse of meta-narratives, is aware of the institutional critique which had put the museum’s hegemonic nature in dispute for decades and, finally, acquainted with the realities of the economic crisis – such a museum must rely not only on long-term strategic planning, but also on momentary moods, uncertainties and intuitions.

The "Early Years" of the exhibition's title describe the unique moment of an artistic biography, when one is still naïve and only beginning to learn from one's errors, while simultaneously being at the height of authenticity, independence and heroism. The show is based on the concept of moving into the future and looking back to the great beginning and search for a history apt to become the founding myth.

For this exhibition, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw invited artists who collaborated with them in its early years. The Museum shared its anxieties with the group, and they reciprocated with their share of expectations for the new institution. The final product is a show which invites the viewer to retrospectively scrutinize the moment when everything was still possible. That moment of a delicate balance between hope and disillusionment, between commitment and compromise is the true hero of the show.

Early Years is part of the project "The Promised City", a cultural initiative between Berlin and Warsaw with performances in Mumbai and Bucharest. Artists, curators and academics from Germany, Poland, India, and Romania have developed various new creative productions, all of which are interdisciplinary and revolve around subjects of the dreams, illusions, and promises of modern metropolises.

Further information can be found at http://www.promised-city.org

The exhibition was organized by
The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw ul. Pańska 3 00-124 Warsaw, Poland
in collaboration with:
The Polish Institute Berlin
Goethe-Institut Warsaw
The Municipality of Warsaw
With financial support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland

Press contact
KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin: Denhart von Harling, T: +49. (0)30. 24345942, press@kw-berlin.de
Annika Frahm Tel.: +49 30 25906482 Mail frahm@goethe.de
Marcin Zastrozny Polnisches Institut Berlin Tel.: +49 30 24758117 Mail presse@polnischekultur.de

Opening: 27 February 2010, 5-10 pm

KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Auguststraße 69 D-10117 Berlin
Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday 12–19, Thursday 12–21

stampa

permanent link