Small Textile Form “GAZING” | 5th Biennial of Textile Art

Small Textile Form “GAZING”

Venue: Curators’ Lab Gallery, 12 Nowowiejskiego Str., Poznan
Duration of exhibition: October 11–26, 2025

Opening event held in conjunction with the 5th Biennial of Textile Art in Poznan:
October 11, 2025 | 3:00 PM | Słodownia +1 Gallery, Stary Browar, Poznan

Participating Artists (Small Textile Form):
Danica Doležalová Bagel | Ewa Bilska | Aleksandra Bonikowska | Paulina Buźniak | Magdalena Chomiak | Agata Ciechomska | Olivia Kaufmann | Anna Więckowska-Kowalska | Agata Kustwan | Varvara Kurakina | Elżbieta Kuźniar | Kinga Ludek | Maciej Mesznik | Natalia Mikołajczyk | Natalia Murdza | Aleksandra Parol | Diana Pawlaczyk | Paulina Poczęta | Beata Prochowska | Paulina Sadrak | Kenji Sato | Anna Sołtysiak | Daria Sukhina | Marianna Lisiecka-Syska | Ewelina Barat Szakińska | Anastasiia Yurkova | Alicja Zakrzewska

Curator: Magdalena Kleszyńska

Co-organizers:
Jak Malowana Foundation, Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznan,
Faculty of Art Education and Curatorial Studies, Nowa UAP Foundation

Supporting Partners:
Municipal Galleries of the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznan

This exhibition accompanies the 5th edition of the Biennial of Textile Art in Poznan.
www.btapoznan.pl

Financed by the City of Poznan budget funds #poznanwspiera

“Gazing” Small Textile Form – the accompanying exhibition of the 5th Biennial of Textile Art in Poznan

Small Textile Form is an exhibition showcasing artworks with maximum dimensions of 20x20x20 cm. Although so-called textile or weaving miniatures were recognized by the art world as a distinct and fully-fledged art form as early as the 1970s, this is the first such exhibition in Poznan. The event is not limited to domestic works but immediately takes on an international character, presenting unique forms and objects from various artists. The exhibition operates as an open call – meaning anyone creating works in the medium of contemporary textile art can submit their pieces – which significantly shapes the show’s character. Thanks to the submissions from artists, the jury is able to select a diverse range of interpretations and approaches to the theme of “Gazing”, thereby allowing the creation of a broad spectrum of perspectives and understandings of the core subject. The exhibition thus becomes an expansive and multifaceted space inviting conversation, discussion, and personal interpretation.

An important fact is that the venue for the Small Textile Form exhibition is the Curators’ Lab Gallery, affiliated with the University of the Arts, named after Magdalena Abakanowicz. This adds another layer of context to the presentation. The exhibition can be viewed through the prism of history and engagement with the legacy of a globally renowned artist who transcended the boundaries of textile art, following her own unrestricted path and changing the world of art and artistic textiles.

The title and theme of the first edition of Small Textile Form is “Gazing”. This concept refers to, evokes, and provides an opportunity to broadly map, describe, and present creative attitudes in relation to the surrounding reality. Gazing can be passive, active, or persistent. Sometimes it is a silent protest. It can be shy observation or simply watching, but it always signifies an act of interest in a situation, issue, or problem being evoked, viewed, or observed.

In today’s times, when it is often easier to look away, become distracted, or focus on fleeting moments, this titular act of looking becomes an important factor in actively building the attention of society or the individual. Sometimes it takes just one person to notice something, to begin looking or staring, and others follow, often expanding the field of interest. Thus, the person gazing, in this case the artist, becomes a signaler, a so-called whistleblower.

Gazing is not only a physical act; it can be understood metaphorically, as we look into the past by analyzing and contemplating events or attitudes that shaped our reality. Looking into history is an important factor enabling continuity, links, and connections with memory and with small forms, which often are the structures that shaped us, our micro-societies, and set the rhythm of our existence.

We can also look into the future – projecting the yet-to-come world. Forecasting the future, searching for meanings that may influence who we will become as individuals or societies, is an intriguing pastime. When combined with the world of matter and visual arts, it becomes an almost unlimited opportunity to explore alternative realities, worlds, forms, and events.

The mentioned size limitation is also crucial. For artists who usually tell stories through expansive narratives and large-scale works, it becomes a challenge to formulate their statements concisely. It encourages the use of only a few symbols, shapes, materials, and forms, extracting what is most essential and most accurately describes the chosen thematic area. The selection of materials, visual means, techniques, often ready-made elements, and the very method of constructing the artwork becomes both the subject and object of the relationship to the theme. Creators reach for various forms of expression and often seek technical or technological solutions outside the realm of traditional woven textiles.

The works presented in the exhibition are highly diverse. Various techniques and approaches reveal the individual style of each artist. We can observe completely different modes of representation; some pieces relate to characteristic solutions from the world of textile art, such as hand-felted wool, original or cross-stitch embroidery. Others are more experimental, pushing the boundaries of unique textile concepts – with works made from silicone, beeswax, epoxy resin, or paper. Objects, materials, forms, textiles, and photographs used to create the artworks act like words forming sentences and building an authorial story. Alone, they are merely symbols used in a mechanical communication process; together, they create an image presenting a fuller view of reality. The viewer’s attention may be drawn to elements or issues they might not have noticed before, gaining new experiences through engagement with the
work.

Both the techniques and interpretations of the theme “Gazing” are rich. Among the selected works, we find pieces depicting women’s lives, phases, states, and fears. Some interpret the theme through memories, others address communities and sometimes difficult neighbourly relations, while some discuss digital modernity and the traps it entails.

Artists speak boldly and nostalgically through their art. They ask questions and sometimes leave us, the viewers, in uncomfortable positions – with clenched lips and thoughts hovering between feelings of injustice and patience toward changes that should have already come.

Though composed of small-format works, the exhibition resounds with a loud polyphony. I wish for all of us that this is only the beginning of this micro/macro journey.

Magdalena Kleszyńska