Event
An Approach to Being Darkness, Infinity, Everyday Life An Exhibition of Polish Contemporary ArtDecember 7, 2013 (sat) – December 23, 2013 (mon)
Admission: free
http://www.kcua.ac.jp/gallery/exihibition/4732.html
Artists：Mirosław Bałka, Jerzy Bereś, Bożenna Biskupska, Stanisław Dróżdż, Koji Kamoji, Edward Krasiński, Norman Leto, Roman Opałka, Eugeniusz Rudnik, Zygmunt Rytka, Mikołaj Smoczyński, Henryk Stażewski, Jan Świdziński
Venue
＠KCUA Kyoto City University of Arts Art Galleryhttp://www.kcua.ac.jp/gallery/home-en
Access: Horikawa-Oike Gallery 1F, 2F 238-1 Oshiaburakoji-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, 604-0052, Japan
Tel: 075-253-1509
Hours: 11:00 ~ 19:00（entry up to 15 minutes before closing.）
Closed: Monday (Tuesday if the Monday is a national holiday)
Description
The exhibition encapsulates the essence of Polish art following the Second World War, and offers an insight into its unique contribution to the international art world. The trauma of the last war, succeeded by years of Communism, is where the darkness – one of the themes of exhibition – comes from. Ironically, when the constraints imposed by the Soviet system were not extreme and totally devastating, they were conductive to evoking and developing their work. Unable to convey their message openly, artists looked for a form which allowed their creativity to emerge in other ways. This process involved a rather intellectual procedure tinted with emotional factors. Historically, Poland has always been a melting pot of cultures and civilizations, a place where west and east meet. This situation gave rise to a very particular mentality that has, over many years, accommodated disparate ingredients from Europe. Throughout its turbulent history Poland has been subjected to an extremely wide and diverse range of experiences. This complex mixture has ensured that the characteristics of Polish art are highly distinctive. A marked attraction to intellectual content is one outcome, reflecting a need to present ideas in a synthetic form that endows them with ‘an added’ dimension, to be deciphered by the viewers, while not necessarily being supported by the system. Transcending the boundaries – whether real, philosophical or aesthetic – led to the development of new modes of communication. The change of political system in 1989 opened up the scope for expression, while maintaining the long cultivated tradition.The paintings, graphic art, videos, performances, installations, sound pieces and objects that are featured in this exhibition reflect the wide range of art practices that have developed in Poland over several decades. They constitute the individual statements of artists searching for an absolute conditioned by everyday reality.
One extraordinary feature of the exhibition is the work of Koji Kamoji, a Japanese born artist who, after graduating from the art academy in Tokyo, moved to Poland in 1959, studied there, and became a leading personality in the Polish art scene from the 60s. His work is a telling example of ‘bridging cultures’. Kamoji’s work is both very Japanese and very Polish in its approach to being.
Organized by: In Situ Contemporary Art Foundation and Kyoto City University of Arts Art Gallery @KCUA
With the financial support by Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland
With the assistance by Polish Institute in Tokyo, Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Forum Polska
Media Partner O.pl, Obieg, Notes na 6 Tygodni, Format, Contemporary Lynx
Contact: 075-253-1509
Event
Artists’ Talk : 16:00 on 07 12Opening : 17:00 on 07 12
Performance by Miho Iwata: 16:00 on 15 12
Talk with Miho Iwata, Hiroshi Yoshioka and Akiko Kasuya: 16:30 on 15 12