mia ART GALLERY

an exhibition of works from the collection of the Lower Silesian Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, connected with the opening of a new Art Gallery – ART MAIN STATION by mia.

Location: Main Railway Station in Wrocław

Exhibition: 23 January – 20 February 2016

Exhibition curator: Prof. Waldemar Okoń, Ph.D.

Coordinator: Dr Sylwia Świsłocka-Karwot

On the 23^rd of January, there will be an opening of a new space for the presentation of visual arts at the Main Railway Station in Wrocław. The mia ART GALLERY, open since 2012 as the representation of the work of the All That Art! Foundation, will inaugurate their new space for artistic work and exhibitions. The newly created art room ART MAIN STATION by mia, with an area of 370 square metres, available directly from the main hall of the Railway Station, will present its first exhibition throughout the next month. Selected by the curator (Prof. Waldemar Okoń, Ph.D.) and the coordinator (Dr. Sylwia Świsłocka-Karwot), these will be the works of six conceptual artists from the collection of the Lower Silesian Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in Wrocław. The project is also part of the main programme of the Wrocław 2016 European Capital of Culture programme.

The artists of the first exhibition at ART MAIN STATION by mia and their works:

Krzysztof Bednarski, Karol Marks na taczce, 2008
Marcin Berdyszak, Martwa natura z niewinnością, 2004
Izabela Gustowska, W dzień zaćmienia – czas seansu, 2000
Ryszard Jędroś, Wideodeszcz -1994, Bez tytułu -1994
Małgorzata Kazimierczak, Inkubator utopii, 1998
Romuald Kutera, Podwójne cięcie, 2006

Prof. Waldemar Okoń, the curator of the exhibition, mischievously puts a very specific question to the viewers – that of innocence. The works of various artists, contrasted with each other, touch on the subject of reality and transcendence of two worlds that collide in human beings – only one of which can be the prism through which we view their message. Can we still look at unreal creations once we are aware of this fact? Does fiction, with which we are bombarded from all directions, have a kind of primitive magic inside it? Thanks to the artists, the visitors to the exhibition have a chance to find a hint as to what is real and what may only seem that way. Because of the location of the ART MAIN STATION by mia, the exhibition is not intended for a specific audience. The constant flow of people through the Main Railway Station means that anyone can visit the gallery. Accidental meetings usually result in an interesting exchange of thoughts, opinions and new inspirations. This is what makes it unique.

The Lower Silesian Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Wrocław has operated since 2004, inspired by the undeniable need to preserve and protect the works of Polish artists of the 20^th and also the 21^st century. In its collection, the Society collects broadly-understood modern art, providing audiences with the opportunity to discover it, as well as ensuring that it is not forgotten. Interacting with culture – including contemporary visual art – is inherently necessary for the preservation of our national culture. The exhibition presented at the ART MAIN STATION by mia gallery is a collection of installations by conceptual artists, for whom the true dimension of a work of art is expressed by the experiences it provides for audiences.

The exhibition is coordinated by Dr Sylwia Świsłocka-Karwot, the vice-president of the LSSEFA, who would like the creation of the new artistic space to serve as a reminder that “the area of art is the area of creativity. Without it, it is difficult to imagine evolutionary progress”. The works of these six artists, with the help of various forms of audio-visual communication – using sounds, colours and objects (not coincidentally causing inner turmoil) – should be a reminder of and a way to awaken the desire spoken of by the curator of the exhibition – an art historian, art critic and poet. Professor Waldemar Okoń writes: “Let us, therefore, look only at the presented works, and forget that there is a river of human affairs, experiences, dreams and intentions flowing beside and above us. Let us try and open the – usually forgotten – inner eye of our soul”.

Świsłocka also adds that art is also “the area of human longing for self-discovery and self-realisation, which can sometimes turn into self-improvement. Additionally, it gives special privilege to the more sensitive among us – the artists – and perhaps the last bastion of unfettered human speech. It is, after all, an area of creating a sensitivity in people, without which it is difficult to imagine our grandchildren. It is our that part of us that exists after all – the third side of innocence!”