Energy Class B

‘Energy Class: B’ discusses the problem of stereotypes and auto-stereotypes of the Poles, the condition of post-totalitarian society as well as the specifics of art in a post-colonial country and its place on the global arts scene. The year 1989 marks an important turning point central to these issues.

The change of the system of government and subsequent economic transformations influenced all aspects of life, activating the processes and phenomena absent from communist reality. Despite the fall of the Iron Curtain and the gradual decline of differences between former Soviet block countries and the West, the old division, “east(worse)/west(better)”, seems to be still present in many people’s minds. Today, the common tendency in Western Europe to place Poland on the east of the continent is determined by the country’s communist past. Poland is situated on the margins of Europe, on its worse side, with the better/worse division based on economic factors.

The exaggerated vision of Poland as a “category B” country is not just a stereotype shaped in the rich, developed countries of Europe, it is also how the Poles see themselves. The standards by which society is evaluated and the goals that people should set themselves mirror the values of the West.

The works shown in this exhibition form, in a way, a mental map of Polish society. The artists discuss questions of conventional images of Poles – their stereotypical religiousness (Kobas Laksa), their ideas of good taste, individual expression, stabilisation and well-being (Marek Wasilewski), as well as Polish-Jewish relations (Artur Żmijewski).

The struggle with an ancient system and its remnants is another important thread as is the analysis of an individual’s condition in a totalitarian regime combined with revealing the absurdities of the authorities (Józef Robakowski) and the attempts to demystify the visual and architectural icons of the communist system (Julita Wójcik).

There is also the problem of language as an instrument of communication which is said to unify society. Critical analysis reveals its susceptibility to manipulation and its incompatibility with reality (Andrzej Tobis), the decision to use English as a basic element of the work allows to understand the identity of individuals suspended between East and West, aspiring to be part of “the better Europe” and yet remaining in the position of colonised subjects (Azorro).

The condition of individuals is another subject under consideration. Questions include the nature of new social relations (Joanna Rajkowska), the social conditions of women (Elżbieta Jabłońska), the attitudes and identity of a generation growing up since 1989 (Paweł Althamer) as well as the position of the artists in the art market, in institutional circles and in the new political situation (Oskar Dawicki).

The works presented discuss the specificity of the æsthetics and interests of art in post-totalitarian countries, paying attention to everyday life (Julita Wójcik, Elżbieta Jabłońska), fascination with catastrophic visions (Hubert Czerepok), exploration of the margins and the absurd images of reality (Andrzej Tobis, Paweł Althamer, Julita Wójcik). Finally, they force us to reconsider the definition and meaning of the term “category B”, which is not limited only to post-communist Poland (Hubert Czerepok).