CEZARY BODZIANOWSKI – Conscious Consents

Cezary Bodzianowski (born in 1968), studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1988-1990) and obtained a diploma of Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp in 1994. He lives and works in Łódź. In 1991 he received Pegasus prize for “art performances that revealed poetry within prosaic reality” and in 2004 his artistic performance was recognized in the form of the prestigious “Passports” Prize granted by Polityka, Poland’s weekly magazine, for his “imagination, consistent attitude, buoyant and disinterested art that causes the routine of our everyday life to rupture”.

Cezary Bodzianowski calls his artistic output as „a personal theatre of events”. He is a situation artist, the author of subtle actions – he stages short, full of absurdity stories and scenes, where he is a main character. The artist created his characteristic image: with an old-fashioned moustache, often accompanied by a trench coat, beret and black suitcase.

The Bodzianowski’s performances usually take place out of the gallery space where the artist in a refined manner, at times almost imperceptibly, interferes with reality. The viewers of his actions, in principle unconscious participants, are accidental passers-by who meet the artist in the streets, in shops, parks and other public places, chosen by him to perform unusual scenes disrupting daily rhythm of life and its routine. These ephemeral actions usually leave the audience in suspense, if the events, in which they participated, really took place.

Bodzianowski doesn’t always spread information about his actions, they sometimes take place in a narrow circle, at artist’s house, and the only viewer of the event is his wife, who makes documentation.

His works were presented at the Pompidou Centre in Paris (Four Times Paris (Pay Back), 2004), in Kölnischer Kunstverein in Cologne (Ein und Aus / In and Out, 2005), at 1602 Broadway in New York (Charlestone, 2006), in Center for Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv (Sababa, 2009).

selected actions:

Świtezianka, 1996. Block of flats in housing estate in Łódź, early-morning hour, when people are getting ready for work. The artists wearing a costume on the pattern of his father’s uniform, former lieutenant-colonel, with the help of a hydraulic lift appeared in front of the building’s wall. In a metal basket, Bodzianowski was moved from one window of the flats to another, knocked on and talked to inhabitants.

O sole mio, 1997. Bodzianowski performed an action in Olsztyn with the aim of „shifting a bit of light from the Olsztyn Planetarium to the BWA Gallery of Contemporary Art with a help of the Planetarium’s employees”. The artists put action participants in such a way that using the mirrors they could pass each other a ray of light, which came right up to the gallery, where it appeared on the wall in form of “a hare”.

Calibabka, 1998. Krakow, the Main Market. Bodzianowski was walking for seven hours and stared „cold-blooded” at women he selected.

P.E., 2001. In one of the high schools in Warsaw, Bodzianowski filled in P.E. teacher and carried out gymnastics lesson with a group of girls from second year class.

1001 trifles, 2001. Krakow. In front of the National Museum a huge queue for tickets for the exhibition „From Monet to Gauguin”. Bodzianowski took place at the end of the queue, patiently waiting until he comes close to the box-office, then he asks a person from the end of the queue to take his place. In this way he gave up his place to a few people.

Arena Circus, 2002. Warsaw. Artist wearing only a black briefs and sandals trotted around closed circus arena.

Urbi et Orbi, 2003. For about an hour Bodzianowski stood still in front of the University of Warsaw covered with various announcement notices affixed to his coat and beret. Every five minutes the artist turned by 45 degrees. Every passer-by could find and detach a relevant announcement paper.

Unik, 2004. Artist in the building at Narutowicza 77 in Lodz (Customer Service Department MPK Lodz) unexpectedly sat down close to the employees and talked about Władysław Strzemiński, who gave the lectures exactly in that building, which was previously the seat of Academy of Fine Arts. He spoke with the MPK employees about their perception of a painting and work of art on the basis of unism.

Cap of invisibility, 2006. Bodzianowski bent under each window he passed. He hid near the police station, court, the Inland Revenue and a bank. While hiding, he went through Lodz from the corner of Piotrkowska and Wigury street until Kosciuszki avenue at 6 Sierpnia street, where finally with a great relief he stood upright.

In 1997 in the Arsenal Gallery the audience could see Cezary Bodzianowski’s presentation Mineralist Be and his performance Manus nigra (simultaneous chess match with the participation several pupils from one of the primary schools in Bialystok). In 2002 performance titled Revolvers and Bowler Hats took place (“war games” that were played in the Council Kidergarten no 23 in Bialystok). In 2003 in the forest near Bialystok a performance/event Glider School was held, with the participation of the audience, where the artist steered the traffic. The collection of Podlaskie Association for the Promotion of Fine Arts includes film by Cezary Bodzianowski The Flying Dutchman (2003) that was presented in the Arsenal Gallery in 2004 and at the post-competition exhibition “Views 2003. Deutsche Bank Cultural Foundation Award”