My Memory

Zuzanna Janin systematically elaborates on the self-reflexive theme, carefully observing herself, her awareness, her presence in the world, as well as her relations with the people, places and situations shaping her identity. By means of introspection, the artist studies time and space, which she once called vectors that help her to draw out her own existence. These vectors serve as both the motif and the material of her work. Her reflections are also retrospective, dwelling on the private, intimate story of the artist. This story is constructed not so much of facts, as of Janin’s own subjective observations, emotions, and associations accompanying the events from the past.

The structure of the installation titled My Memory, which is an autobiographical image of the artist’s memory, is of a network – both the artist and critics compare it to social networking services. It is composed of vertically arranged panels of colourless Plexiglas with engraved names and surnames of over one thousand people whom Janin had met and remembered. The panels are hung on walls and illuminated with fluorescent light, while the space of the work is filled with artificial fog. The Internet project is an important part of the installation: the whole structure has been transferred to the Web, and those who find their name on the artist’s list can create their own network of meetings with people and the memories connected with those encounters.

When entering the space of this intimate installation, the viewer also enters the space of remembering. However, the linear train of thought of the artist is difficult to follow. It is only for brief moments that fragments of the panels or single names are made visible in the foggy space by the light and the movement of people. Coming into the fog of Janin’s work is like entering a space which is not fully recognized or defined. The artist only reveals one of the layers of her psychological self-portrait to the viewer, or to herself for that matter. She is aware of the fact that she is shaped by her consciousness which she discovers when she writes down the list of names just as much as by the subconscious, which lies hidden.

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