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Group exhibition The Polish title of the exhibition, Przyjemność Obcowania, translates directly to The Pleasure of Experiencing. Pleasure derives from the Polish word which means to take in, to receive, whereas experience has much to do with being present. Therefore, the pleasure of experiencing, whether it is in art or sex, has much to do with being present and being able to receive. There is something intimate and simultaneously ambiguous in the process – experiencing pleasure requires bringing something in, allowing something to take place inside of us, but also carries the risk of reaction, opening up to an unknown feeling or impulse – something distinctive for both art and sexual pleasure. Art and pleasure both rely strongly on relation, touch, sensuality, letting the recipient see and feel something personal and often mysterious, which derives from the imagination of the creator. Finally, it entails reciprocity. To a certain extent, art and pleasure are much alike. We present a journal of pleasure perceived differently by seventeen contemporary Polish artists. Pleasure in different forms, shapes and sizes, seen in the context of voyeurism, exhibitionism, fetishism, the body, emotions, magic, nature. Presented works often reflect intimate, private experiences, but also demonstrate pleasure experienced in public, online – accessible pleasure. Being naked and nudity. Demanding pleasure and shy attempts to find it in an intimate relationship, with someone or with ourselves. Pleasure approached with caution, spontaneity or maturity. Pleasure received or pleasure given. This vast idea became an opportunity to build a testimony of pleasure in its full spectrum of emotions, relations and contexts. It was our conscious choice to gather diverse, often contrasting works – together, they spark a new, stimulating chance to talk about sensuality and sexuality and, in consequence, to talk about sexual education. A chance much needed in Polish public discourse these days. Everyone has the right to pleasure. It is conveyed in The Declaration of Sexual Rights. Without pleasure, we struggle to go through the day, it is impossible to endure times of crisis. Pleasure is a substantial element of our wellbeing, a crucial part of our physical and spiritual life and, as a result, one of the most natural ways to find happiness. That is why it is an essential part of sexual education and the heart of this exhibition. +++ Poetry artbook by Ania Malinowska & Pola Dwurnik: Unhappy Ending. Poems for the Broken/Hearted is a poetry artbook depicting the morphology of a heartbreak. It maps the stages and structures of torment brought on by the collapse of love as well as sharing the epiphanies that emerge from the pain of a breakup. Created over the course of four years in the style that the authors term “high pulp”, the artbook narrates an emotional journey across the void of a broken heart, and describes a search for rebirth which that experience invariably induces. It also maps different locations – from New York to Katowice to Warsaw to an American desert – where the poems and drawings came to be. Far from the imagery of drama traditionally associated with the topos of lost love, the book playfully dignifies unhappy endings. Unhappy Ending. Poems for the Broken / Hearted Poems: Ania Malinowska Drawings: Pola Dwurnik Graphic design by Ania Malinowska & Tomasz Gałdyński 52 pages, hardcover Print run: 500 copies Distribution: Bęc Zmiana, Warsaw |
