Bownik. Imagine a Time When All Records Have Already Been Broken
The exhibition refers directly to the manifestations of youth – a kind of disclosure in the perception of two streams of time: historical and magical. Youth as a period of life filled with challenges and experiments. It is the time of combining contradictions that become repetitive records of youth. The trophies – earned and collected – become the only reality they possess and identify.
Imagine a Time… will feature the works from the series Colleagues, as well as three new photographs that were created especially for the exhibition in Białystok, in which the artist continues the topic of youth.
Agata Chinowska’s conversation with Bownik
about his 2017 exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery in Białystok
Let us begin with the exhibition title: Imagine a Time When All Records Have Already Been Broken – according to Facebook, it is definitely too long, the event title character limit having been exceeded. Please tell me whence the title and the reference.
This is just about the format requirement; clashing with such limitations is always interesting.
The title is a direct reference to symptoms of youth – an enclosure, of sorts, between two periods: the historical and the magical; youth as a period brimming with challenges and experiments. It is a time when contradictions are combined to morph into repetitive records of youth. Trophies won and collected form the only reality, both owned and identifiable.
What you are saying is deeply philosophical, as it the exhibition title. Has your studying of philosophy influenced your artistic oeuvre?
I think it has, those studies have gone viral on me.
Bownik (b. 1977) – a graduate of philosophy at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań. He is known for his photo cycles: Gamers, E-Słodowy, Colleagues, Disassembly. His photo book entitled Disassembly, published by Mundin, received the main prize in the competition Fotograficzna Publikacja Roku 2014 (Photographic Publication of the Year 2014). The same book was nominated for the Kassel Photobook Award in 2014. He participated in many solo and group exhibitions. His works are held in collections of Huis Marseille Museum in Amsterdam, the ING Polish Art Foundation and private collections.
Related events:
January 21, 2017 – artist and curator-led tour of the exhibition with Polish Sign Language Interpreter
The event will be adapted to the needs of hearing impaired or deaf people.
Interpreted by: Justyna Nowosadko
Admission is free.
Curator: Agata ChinowskaArray
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Opening times:
Thuesday – Sunday
10:00-18:00
Last admission
to exhibition is at:
17.30