Let them weave! Contemporary Polish Sewn Sculpture
oryginal tittle: “Niech Szyją! Współczesna polska rzeźba uszyta”
Studio Cannariegio, Venice, Italy, 2022
Curators:
Leszek Golec, Stanisław Małecki
Photo:
Leszek Golec, Piotr Szmyt
Sculpture:
Fashionista (2016 – 2019)
Mixed media. Jute bank bags, clothing tags.
113 x 38 x 128 cm
„Weaving, which has brought us together, means something completely different for each of us. […] I see the thread as the basic element in the construction of the organic world of our planet, as the greatest mystery of our surroundings. It is the thread that builds all living organisms, plants, the tissue of leaves, and ourselves—our nerves, our genetic code, our veins, our muscles. We are fibrous structures.”
Magdalena Abakanowicz
The works presented in the exhibition Let Them Sew! Contemporary Polish Sculpture Sewn are a selection of works by artists connected to the Polish Sculpture Center over the last 40 years, as well as representatives of the younger generation. Among them are: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alina Szapocznikow, Maria Pinińska-Bereś, and Franciszek Orłowski.
The objects, installations, and films displayed in the spaces of Studio Cannaregio in Venice create a dialogue with the history of the Venice Biennale. They also refer to the pandemic atmosphere of the lockdown, which left its mark on the functioning of the Venice Biennale, a place previously visited by millions of tourists. Sanitary restrictions and limitations on movement caused the world to stand still for a moment. Tourists disappeared, and spaces once dominated by humans were briefly returned to nature.
The thread is only an excuse here. The works on display, on the one hand, address ecological issues, while on the other hand, they explore the need for community and collective thinking about the future of the world around us.
The exhibition is a voice in the discussion about the current condition of the world and humanity. It is a call for hope for a better future for humanity and the planet, a response to the exhaustion caused by the recurring images of climate catastrophe and armed conflicts that are devastating societies. It is a creative response to the helplessness caused by the normalization of catastrophe visions and the devaluation of the term “Anthropocene”—a term that until recently was new and provoked reflection. The exhibition presents the works of 29 Polish artists and two representatives from the artistic community of Ukraine, whose artistic domain is textiles.
Artists: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Basia Bańda, Bettina Bereś, Jerzy Bereś, Paweł Błęcki, Tatiana Czekalska, Ewa Dąbrowska, Iwona Demko, Lia Dostlieva, Monika Drożyńska, Diana Grabowska, Helena Hafemann, Aleksandra Hołownia, Radka Horbaczewska, Sylwia Jakubowska, Ida Karkoszka, Małgorzata Lisiecka, Cecylia Malik, Aurelia Mandziuk, Małgorzata Markiewicz, Magdalena Moskwa, Mariia Mytrofanova, Teresa Murak, Franciszek Orłowski, Ewa Pachucka, Maria Pinińska-Bereś, Alina Szapocznikow, Elwira Sztetner, Agata Zbylut, Sofi Żezmer, Izabela Żółcińska
SCULPTURE 
Fashionista
(2016 – 2019)
113 x 38 x 128 cm
Mixed media. Jute bank bags, clothing tags