STRANGELY FAMILIAR. FAIRLY ACTIVE OBJECTS

In cosmic capsules creating the Art Walk Gallery there prevail objects undoubtedly strongly ’haunted’ by the past. There are outdated things which have been almost forgotten and return as broken afterimages. They recall not only time that has passed but also vague blends of incoherent emotions closely connected with the bygone decades. Past familiarness strangely packed now with anxiety is evoking a mix of nostalgia and embarrassment. Actually, not long ago a lot of those objects were our symbols of novelty and development. Technical equipment and decorative gadgets or toys were bringing excitement, even if hidden at times. And nowadays as relicts of modernity they are troublesome phantoms of our experience calling for recognition. Fragments of battered furniture or other items are obsolete, however, they still carry traces of sentimental mood or annoyance.

Jan Pieniążek builds firmly ambiguous constructions. The absurd sense of humour prompts creepiness, stark metal details bring almost sacral solemnity whereas a typical celebrity show brushes against the occult. And these are only material objects! Asked about the principles governing his selection he admits auto-ironically that it is the other way round: the things had chosen him as he had not been looking for them. His artwork is not a typical recycling but a form of upcycling–processing abandoned things into objects with a surplus value. Maybe it is also the upcycling of emotions? We need to check it personally on the spot in order to meet them devoting them glimpses of attention and reflection.

When it comes to artistic tools the ‘strangely familiar objects’ are obviously assemblages, autonomous, spatial compositions created from everyday items, their fragments and commonly accessible ‘non-artistic’ materials. Some of them were purposefully prepared by the artist, reassembled or painted.

The objects as assemblages of mass-produced things are not items that are repeated anywhere. Their meaning is much richer than the serially manufactured one. According to the information theory conveying a mathematical model of communication (coined already in the 1940s) the more the object is unlikely the more information it contains. Therefore, it is not hard to notice that all the assemblages on the exhibition are highly unlikely. We do not encounter such things in our daily life, which means they include a notably rich content.

What is the content about? Perhaps the presented assemblages contain the artist’s memory concerning the past. Hence, they have become „personal memorials of the objects” and not only universal memorials.

Memory can be traced in various shapes. In each capsule it is designed by the artist as a tale (or rather an episode of a certain plot). In one of the episodes strange creatures resembling mutant pet toys were placed in a math’s classroom, in another one they lean over a construction set that is a logical game. In a peculiar incoherence of these creatures to the context in which they were put we can experience a characteristic attitude of Jan Pieniążek’s creative unpredictability and ‘irresponsibility’, a bit childish but also consciously outsider-like. It reaches out for treasures as if from an outermost fair with the purpose of questioning the superiority of the ones that are merely attached to good taste and elegance. Cute colours such as candy pink and shades of green as well as soft materials dedicated to children want to draw our attention. They tempt us with their cheeky lure and the lack of esthetic inhibitions in the urge to indulge the most trivial visual whims. They become fetishes of pleasures forbidden by good taste. The delight over the popular culture and fascination of the aspects that are artificial or extravagant–defined as camp esthetics–only apparently except intellectual reflection. Therefore: let us reflect.

Grzegorz Borkowski

COLOPHONE

from 12.09.2024

Galeria Art Walk, plac Europejski, Warszawa

Artist: Jan Pieniążek
Curators: Jakub Słomkowski, Grzegorz Borkowski
Curatorial Text: Grzegorz Borkowski

Graphic Design: Marcin Ślusarczyk

Organisers: Fundacja Sztuka w Mieście, Ghelamco

MEETING – LIVE STREAM

On Friday, November 8, 2024 at 6:00 pm, the premiere of the virtual part of the exhibition will take place, built from the experience of artist Jan Pieniążek’s installations in digital space, combined with a virtual walk through the artist’s studio.

The meeting with the artist, the exhibition curators, and the digital creators invited to the project – Maciej Żak and Martn Demmer – will take place online.

You can watch the broadcast at this address or in the window below.

VIDEO DOCUMENTATION

CO-FINANCING

ARTWORKS