(K)now Polish Art

About

The exhibition will feature contemporary visual artists from Poland, who explore their identity and idea of "Polishness" in their work.  

The exhibition will be part of artBLAB’s larger curatorial practice - the mission of
artBLAB is to present interesting niche emerging and established artists to a wider audience.  artBLAB events - in-person and online - host artists, and art professionals where they can present their work from various disciplines and
celebrate creativity. 

Six diverse contemporary Polish artists will show their work in Folkston, encouraging the audience to

The aim of the (K)Now Polish Art exhibition is to highlight that Polish art, and works from Central and Eastern European Countries, are not homogenous. The multidisciplinary approach of the show seeks to unpick stereotypes about Polish art, for instance, that it’s all rooted in communism. The works on exhibition reflect on themes related to feminism, women’s health, invisible disability or ecopolitics, many of which continue to be seen as taboo in Poland.

Dr Alicja Pawluczuk, whose artworks are kitschy, vibrant, and most importantly - hysterical. Through hysterical artivism, she aims to raise awareness of the collective and often invisible suffering as a result of centuries of medical misogyny and the existing gender health gap. - www.hystera.online 

Elżbieta M. Piotrowska’s artwork is very much in opposition to the rigidity of her upbringing in the grey Polish communist regime. She experiments with the fluidity of the form and creates abstract paintings that explode with bright colours. www.instagram.com/goshkaart 

Katie Szyszko is a writer, artist and curator who creates texts and installations that explore her upbringing as a Polish person and as a woman. Her works are
often considered dreamy, she’s inspired by surrealist art too.

Małgorzata Drohomirecka’s practice intertwines painting, screen-printing and 16 mm camera-less film. Since 2015 Drohomirecka focuses on figurative painting. She appropriates symbols and allegories from historical and religious works of
art and collages them with various motives from popular culture. https://drohomirecka.com/   

Michał Kamil Piotrowski is a visual poet living in Folkestone. He creates black and white texts and artistic interventions about his culture, his sexual identity, and mental illnesses. He’s currently working on his third book. https://issuu.com/michalkamilpiotrowski/docs/portfolio_michal_kamil_piotrowski    

Zula Rabikowska is a queer Polish photographer and videographer based in London. Zula was born in Poland, grew up in the UK and her practice is influenced by her experience of migration and in her work, she explores themes of displacement, gender identity and LGBTQI+ communities.  https://www.zulara.co.uk/ 

Curatorial team:
artBLAB - Marta Grabowska (https://www.martagrabowska.info ) and Michał Kamil Piotrowski