AS GOOD AS IT GETS – AZORRO (Oskar Dawicki, Igor Krenz, Wojciech Niedzielko, Łukasz Skąpski)

As Good as it Gets, an exhibition presented in Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, is another, after the Ideal Exhibition (CoCA Toruń), attempt to comprehensively present the works of artists that have been collaborating since 2001. The name of the group comes from a blend of two words: Azorek (a popular dog’s name in Poland) and Zorro, which is a perfect example of the irreverent art created by the artists. It is often said that their videos were crated in opposition to the critical art of the 90’s. Azorro’s areas of interest include the reflection on the artistic community, the position of the artist in society as well as important contemplation on the work of art and art itself. The artists ask “seemingly” naive questions – is art over? Are the artists allowed to do everything? Is there such thing as a perfect sculpture? The idea behind their videos is very simple – they are based on laconic discussions, eccentric strolls around cities or visits to galleries and openings. Azorro’s productions often resemble home videos, however it is not the form or quality of the material that is most important, but the message. The exhibition on one hand “fetishizes” the works of the artists, who are most often its main protagonists, but on the other hand shows the crisis of the group’s myth and its dissolution in the Last Film. The summary of the group activity can be found in a specially prepared annex, designed as a visual collage of facts and items from videos as well as notes documenting the artists’ work methods.

Joanna Zielińska

Azorro Supergroup // Arsenal Gallery:

2002– Azorro videos screening: We like it a lot(2001), Azorro Standard (2002), Is an artists allowed to do everything? (2002), Proposal (2002), Hamlet (2002). Arsenal Gallery, Białystok.

2003– Azorro videos screening: Hic et Nunc and Everything Has Been Doneas part of the Arsenal Gallery program presentation.Dům Umĕni Mĕsta Brna, Brno, Czech Republic. Curator: František Kowo-lowski, cooperation: Monika Szewczyk.

2004 – Four Roses,exhibition of four groups:Kamera Skura (Czech Republic), Kunst-Fu (Slovakia), Little Warsaw (Hungary), Azorro (Poland). Arsenal Gallery,Białystok. Curators: Marta Trojan, František Kowo-lowski, Monika Szewczyk.

2005– How to talk about contemporary art?,group exhibition:Azorro, Vesna Bukovec, Hubert Czere-pok, Oskar Dawicki, Maciej Kurak, Zbigniew Libera, Laura Pawela, Joanna Rajkowska, Paweł Susid. Arsenal Gallery, Białystok. Curators: Monika Szewczyk, Krzysztof Kościuczuk.

2006– Sense of Humour. Supergroup Azorro and Art in Poland, videos screening.The L. Kurbas State Centre for Theatre Arts, Kiev, Ukraine (co-organizer: Polish Institute in Kiev). Curator: Monika Szewczyk.

In 2003 Arsenal Gallery bought Azorro video Hamlet (2002), which was afterwards presented on many exhibitions in Polandand abroad. Currently – from September 15 to October 23, 2010 – Hamlet is shown in White Box Gallery in New York, as part of Minimal Differences exhibition co-organized by Arsenal Gallery (curators: Denise Carvalho, Monika Szewczyk). More information: www.galeria-arsenal.pland http://whiteboxny.org/