Art education: thinking through art

Art education: thinking through art
Gallery Curators’Lab UAP, 12  Nowowiejskiego Str.
Opening: 11.07.2024, 18:00
12.07 – 3.10.2024

Artists: Aleksander Bajorek, Gabriel Jasiński, Mikołaj Kaczmarski, Maciej Karkoszka, Danuta Kobylacka, Stanisław Korycki, Katarzyna Lem, Urszula Niklas, Olga Ormańczyk i Anka Rynarzewska, Karolina Paczewska, representatives of Transdisciplinary Projects and Research Studio

Curators: Izabela Kowalczyk, Justyna Ryczek

The exhibition presents selected works created in the studios of the Faculty of Art Education and Curatorial Studies, as well as work by art education students created in another studio.  It is a continuation of the reflection on teaching art and the relationship between art and theory, which was initiated by the publication Thinking through Art (ed. A. Paradowska, M. Szeląg).

The main theme is artistic education. Therefore, the exhibition was created as a kind of classroom or laboratory, referring not so much to teaching art, but to teaching – through art – thinking about the world around us. The presented works raise important issues of tradition, memory and modernity. They also talk about the relationship between art and various fields of culture (literature, mythology) and science (biology, linguistics and history). Knowledge, however, is not something given from above and accepted unquestioningly. It is subjected to critical reflection. Therefore, the exhibition asks, among other things, what knowledge we need? Can art provide insight into reality just like science? Or maybe you need to protect yourself from them?

Artistic education teaches critical thinking, gives the right to make mistakes, and provokes discussion. We hope that this is how this exhibition will be perceived. That is why we give a voice to young artistic people, presenting both their artistic statements as well as the authors’ comments, posted below.

Graphics: Gabriel Jasiński, The most difficult Polish tongue twisters / Najtrudniejsze polskie łamańce językowe, 2024

Author’s works and comments:

Aleksander Bajorek, His gardens, 2024

art book inspired by the work of Bruno Schulz, unique, photo collages, drawing

Art Book, Ph.D. Tomasz Wilmański prof. UAP

His gardens presents Bruno Schulz’s relationship with the city of Drohobych, where he was born, lived and died. The work shows an evolving relationship with the place that shaped the artist and how it influenced it. I wanted to draw attention to important moments in Bruno’s life and their reflection in his surroundings.

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Gabriel Jasiński,  The most difficult Polish tongue twisters, 2024

print, 150×105 cm

Studio of Art in Social Space, Ph.D. Rafał Jakubowicz, Barbara Stańko-Jurczyńska, M.A

During certain classes at the university, I witnessed a monologue of a person with an academic title who complained that he was unable to use neutral forms towards male and female students (sic!). This monologue made me feel insecure about coming out during this class. I created this poster to work through this situation and to make you reflect on the story in a humorous way. What causes people who teach to be reluctant to learn new things? Is it simply an aversion to change or an aversion to specific people hidden under complex academic formulations?

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Mikołaj Kaczmarski, Transition, 2024

Digital animation

Studio of Open Art Interpretations, prof. Rafał Łubowski, mgr Aleksander Radziszewski

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Maciej Karkoszka, Biological Rhythm, 2024, 

animation

Transdisciplinary Projects and Research Studio, prof. Ph.D. Joanna Hoffmann-Dietrich, Mateusz Janik, M.A

In the animation, the slime mold fungus multiplies and forms a heart. It is a symbol of the cycle of life and interdependence in nature. Although the slime mold itself does not have the ability to perform such complex actions as interacting with trees or plants, I used slime molds to talk about the mutual cooperation of plants and fungi in underground root networks. The final heart animation is meant to symbolize just that.

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Danuta Kobylacka, Social memory, 2024

digital printing, fineliners + Photoshop

1st Drawing Studio, prof. Joanna Imielska, dr Anna Maria Brandys

Memories of a given community depend on the context, and what’s more, ideas about the past change over time. One example of how different groups remember an event is the story of Columbus reaching America. I made two colors of the deck: coins (2-10) showing the perspective of Europeans who consider the “discovery” to be a positive, symbolic event and still see Christopher Columbus as an outstanding sailor who contributed to the development of civilization. However, the cards marked with a spearhead (2-10) show a completely different perspective, the negative effects on the inhabitants of these lands brought by the arrival of Europeans to the “New World”.

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Stanisław Korycki, Mite shape – microphotogrammetry, 2024

microphotogrammetry; preparation: mites, electron micrographs converted into photogrammetry using PhotoCatch, edited in MeshMixer, 3D printing Dimensions: 15 cm x 12 cm x 7 cm

Transdisciplinary Projects and Research Studio, prof. Ph.D. Joanna Hoffmann-Dietrich, Mateusz Janik, M.A

The project involved scanning a mite, transforming two-dimensional electron microscope photographs into a three-dimensional model, and then 3D printing the enlarged object. Photogrammetry was used to create a 3D model based on microphotographs of the mite. The preparation, which is actually less than a millimeter in size, is covered with silver before being placed in an electron microscope; photographs taken in this way are devoid of color. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Electron and Confocal Microscopy Laboratory at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan.

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Katarzyna Lem, Formy eufemiczne, 2024

Euphemistic forms

Objects made of Carrara marble, glass and ceramics fired using the raku technique

2nd Painting Studio, dr Magdalena Kleszyńska, prof. Mariusz Kruk

The work draws its origin from a drop of water that penetrates. It focuses on the topic of the path created by a drop and the trace it leaves. The juxtaposed objects: glass, stone, ceramic, through hand-carved bands, are a synthesis of the entire history. Each object can be treated separately, but only together they create a complete story through the created paths and tensions. The objects were created out of a passion for minimalism and sculptural detail.

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Urszula Niklas, Root, 2024

art book, unique, collages, drawing

Art book, dr hab. Tomasz Wilmański, prof. UAP

A work that immerses viewers in the rich world of Slavic mythology. It presents symbols of gods, spirits and legendary creatures that have shaped the imagination of our ancestors for centuries. Each page shows the mysticism of Slavic culture, encouraging you to discover forgotten legends and the magic of ancient beliefs.

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Karolina Paczewska, Social memory, 2024

acrylic on folders

1st Drawing Studio, prof. Joanna Imielska, dr Anna Maria Brandys

The work refers to Operation “Hiacinth”, which was carried out in 1985-87 in the Polish People’s Republic by the Citizens’ Militia. It involved collecting materials about homosexual men and their environment. Information was collected in pink folders. The effects of these actions were control, blackmail, and persecution, which in turn contributed to the mass migration of men whose names were included in the files. I decided to experiment on white A4 folders with different tools and pink acrylic. Each of the folders can be carefully examined.

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Anka Rynarzewska, Olga Ormańczyk, I’m trying to establish a connection, 2024

installation

Studio of Photography in Contexts

prof. Piotr Wołyński, mgr Agnieszka Antkowiak

A textile installation that refers to the experience of children’s play in building a shelter and the deeper, adult process of fitting into social groups and meeting expectations and the desire for a sense of belonging. The main element of the installation is a structure resembling a children’s base – a structure that children build from blankets, sheets and pillows. The textile base, spread out in space, seems to be a solid, comfortable shelter, bringing to mind the warmth and security of childhood, becoming a place where expectations and norms cease to exist for a moment. A closer look reveals that each part of this base consists of various pieces of textile with different patterns, colors and textures that symbolize different aspects of individual identities and relationships. The installation becomes a metaphor for the process of growing up and searching for identity within social groups. It offers a space to reflect on how we try to fit into our assigned roles, meeting the expectations of others while remaining ourselves.

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Mushrooms, Collaborative work of students, Transdisciplinary Projects and Research Studio, 2024

prof. dr hab. Joanna Hoffmann-Dietrich, mgr Mateusz Janik

2 digital prints 100×70 cm each,

As part of the studio topic Smart City – Fungi, people studying in the winter semester were given the task of exploring Poznan and the surrounding area in search of various mushrooms. They photographed them and marked the coordinates of the places where they found them. Then, after learning the basics of generating images using artificial intelligence and prompting, they tried to recreate their photographs in generators using AI.

The fun game is to identify the generated mushrooms. The answers can be found under the QR codes. The game has educational values: teaching the ability to distinguish images generated by AI from documentary photography and at the same time encouraging deepening knowledge of nature.