SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS

Opening – 21.06.2024

18.00 – Gallery /  Courtyard of Poznan City Hall,17  Kolegiacki Sq.                                                                                                          
19.00 – Gallery Szewska, 16 Szewska Str.

The exhibition will be held in two places – in the Courtyard of the Poznan City Hall and in Gallery Szewska 16, from June 21 to July 5, 2024.

The SYNONYMS exhibition will present the works of artists studying at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznan, touching on topics related to neurodiversity. These are works that talk about difficulties in communication and proper understanding, as well as those that show the perception of the world by highly sensitive and neuroatypical people.

A “synonym” is a word that is identical or similar in meaning to another word. In the context of the exhibition, “synonym” is the mutual similarity of artistic people to each other, but also to other people – despite neurodiversity.

The spectrum of works is very wide – from painting, through graphics, drawing, art book, animation, film, photography to design art. Each of the above-mentioned areas, providing different possibilities of expression, allows for individualized artistic statements touching on the issues of the autism spectrum, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, as well as high sensitivity, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders and other mental illnesses and crises.

We are very keen to give all recipient groups – those with similar or different sets of features or difficulties, including various types of disabilities, but also to people unfamiliar with art – the opportunity to become acquainted with our works as fully as possible. Therefore, our exhibition will be accessible and open to everyone.

The opening is scheduled for June 21 (Friday) at 6.00 p.m. in the Courtyard of Poznan City Hall, at 17 Kolegiacki Sq.

From there, around 7 p.m., we will go together to Gallery Szewska. Next, we invite you to celebrate together in the courtyard of the building of the Faculty of Painting and Drawing of the UAP at Szewska 16. There will be a musical and mapping show, as well as refreshments.

The opening will be translated into Polish Sign Language.

The exhibition is accompanied by a pre-guide created specially for this purpose. We encourage you to read it before the exhibition.

All works are accompanied by original audio descriptions prepared for blind people. These people will be able to listen to them via QR codes placed next to individual works.

Thinking about accessibility in the context of deaf people, we created descriptions of audiovisual works in which texts, music or other sounds appear.

The exhibition will be accompanied by special fidgets that will have a calming function and help you focus or calm down. Special noise-cancelling headphones and earplugs will also be available at the exhibition.

The exhibition provides a “place of silence”, a calm and safe space for people who would like or need to calm down or be alone.

Part of the exhibition will be a specially designed information brochure about the needs of neuroatypical people.

For one of the works, a special three-dimensional typhlography will be created, which will be a reproduction of the image in the form of a 3D mock-up. Thanks to this, blind people will be able to better imagine the work by touching the relief.

• June 27, 2024 at 5 p.m., a one-and-a-half-hour workshop for curators, artists and educators is planned. During the workshop, you will be able to learn about ways of working with blind people, what audio descriptions, typhlographics, etc. are. 

• July 2, 2024 at 5 p.m., a two-hour curatorial tour with part of the curatorial team and a sign language interpreter for deaf people is planned.

• July 3, 2024 at 5 p.m., a two-hour curatorial tour with part of the curatorial team is planned for visually impaired and blind people.

 The project is co-financed by the Poznan City Hall as part of the small grants program in the area of ​​”Culture, art, protection of cultural goods and national heritage”.

Honorary patrons: Ombudsman for Children and the Unaweza Foundation with the Młode Głowy project.