Things, Things, Things
This exhibition brings the work of eleven artists and designers into contact with the publications in The Potato Library. We hope the presence of these works, selected through an open call, will expand, permeate and reflect on the knowledge stored in the books.
As a space, Ziemniaki_i is concerned with how and why we research and with who. By having these non-human actors present, we hope to nurture, nudge and provoke different ways of being in a place of research. The library, housed in Zielone OKO, is in constant flux as it tries to understand its relevance. The space is never static and the works displayed are intended to weave the books together, possibly leading us to somewhere unexpected.
What happens when the light generated by a potato mingles and falls onto soft fabrics as they caress the contents of the library?
Things, Things, Things, how else could you describe an exhibition in a library housed in a metal box?
Artists:
Staś MacLeod
Julia Bujak
Matylda Wolwowicz
Anna Nowakowska
Guoda Šulskytė
Julia Ciunowicz
Katarzyna Kowalska
Ludmila Bubanova
Marcin Pietrucin
Ola Lewczyk
Weronika Krupa
Curator, Josh Plow wrote: “The Open Call was divided by three curators (…) I have selected your works for an exhibition on the theme of the Wunderkammer, turning our research library into a cabinet of curiosities that blends research, with books and objects: activating the library through the presence of objects, films and interventions. This will be quite an informal affair, with a focus on how your projects interweave with the ideas present in the books and how they can expand, complete and contribute to future understanding of libraries as spaces of knowledge. There is also a loose theme touching on ecology, earth and storytelling.”
Katarzyna Kowalska
OLFACTORY IMAGE, 2017
During Katarzyna’s summer residencies in Berlin in 2017 and 2018, she carried out observations and activities in the central districts of the German capital, related to the analysis and comparison of the quality of visual space. The final project focused on printed materials, stickers and painted messages, creating a colourful backdrop to the city. The paper messages aptly reflect the process of information overproduction in the modern world. While collecting visual information, her attention was drawn to areas heavily covered with posters, walls and pillars with an accumulated mass of paper, soggy and falling off under its own weight. One such roll of paper served as Kowalska’s research material and then became the basis for the object ‘Olfaktoric Image’. Cutting away the thick roll of posters stuck one on top of the other allowed her to observe its successive layers.
The closer to the centre the odour was damper, mouldy and more intense. The formation of a small object with such a strong and unpleasant odour is to investigate the possibility of transporting it, storing it and preserving it for further experiments.
Visual identity by Robert Bolinski
Opening on 11th May from 13:00-18:00
Open from 11.05.24- 26.05.2024
After the opening, you can visit the exhibition during OKO’s opening hours. You just need to ask for the key to Zielone OKO at reception.
The Potato Library is a trust-based reference library for anyone interested in how the creative arts can play a progressive role in society. If you’re curious and search through the shelves, you’ll find books on ecology, contemporary art and design, technology and more. The project is implemented as part of the MiniGrants2023 programme funded by the Ochota Cultural Centre.
