The Popowice Depot, this year’s SURVIVAL venue, built around 122 years ago, serving the modern electric tramway system, is another historic building that is soon to be filled with people, art, exhibitions, sound, movement, joy, excitement, international guests, and many more, all thanks to the Wrocław-born art review.
The 21. SURVIVAL Art Review ERZAC will take place from the 23rd to the 27th of July. 5 days, 120 hours, 2 scenes, 34 artists, and a 122-year-old venue… What a ride! Filled with great, diverse art, discussions, parties, and amazing histories. The organiser is Fundacja Art Transparent and the 21st. edition’s curators are Michał Bieniek, Anna Kołodziejczyk, Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz, Ewa Pluta, and Daniel Brożek. 34 artists are featured, among them Elena Berezina, Paweł Błęcki, Paweł Czekański, Uladzimir Hramovich, Jakub Jakubowicz, Gvantsa Jishkariani, Paweł Kasprzak, Jakub Kosecki, Adam Kozicki, Alicja Kubicka, Paweł Kulczyński, Zlata Lebedz, Kasper Lecnim, Mac Lewandowski, Katarzyna Malejka, Maja Mir, Jan Mioduszewski, Martyna Modzelewska, Michał Myszkowski, Małgorzata Mycek, Aleksandra Nowysz, Lesia Pczołka, Zofia Pałucha, Mateusz Piestrak, Piotr Popek, Saszko Protah, Aleksandra Przybysz, Irmina Rusicka, John Ryaner, Marta Stysiak, Szymon Szewczyk, Karolina Szymanowska, Viktoriia Tofan, Weronika Trojańska, and Agata Zemla.
We want to make sure our already significant audience, which amounts to several thousand people each year (14,000 attendees last year in five days!), has the opportunity to see SURVIVAL, experience its rich program, and be inspired by it.
— General curator, Michał Bieniek
With the general curator, Michał Bieniek, we discuss this year’s art selections, artists, the Ersatz, the SURVIVAL venue, its program, and the international projects of Art Transparent Foundation.
MJ: Erzac, originating from the German term ersatz denoting substitute/replace, is the core inspiration for 21. SURVIVAL Art Review. Tell us more about this year’s theme.
MB: Each edition of SURVIVAL has the same principle; it has a motto or theme somehow related to or arising from the space in which it takes place. This year, it is Erzac. In our view, It is a central idea related to the history of the Popowice Depot building, which is over 120 years old. What fascinated us about its history is that women worked in this depot during both world wars, of course, they worked as substitutes as the men were called to fight on the front. After the wars, women were removed from their positions. This motif of replaced working force was the starting point for our conceptualisation of the review and its exhibitions.
MJ: The venue holds a significant chunk of Europe’s history!
MB: This historical aspect is important to us and plays a significant role, resonating in some artworks which will be presented on SURVIVAL XXI. As I mentioned, it refers to the phenomenon of women entering the job market, which is very significant in our view. However, we needed to expand this historical aspect to include recent times and relate to modern ideas and problems. We wanted to interpret Erzac in the context of geopolitics in general, but mainly concerning the region of the world in which we live, Central and Eastern Europe, which, as we know, experienced a systemic transformation at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. In the process of this transformation, including the economic aspect, it was regarded as a kind of imitation of the West. This imitation is still condemned today to catch up with the unattainable Western model continually. We wanted to address and draw artists’ attention to these issues. As a result, many very interesting works are mainly related to labour. Moreover, in the context of Erzac, we wanted to directly relate to what is happening here and now, referring to the war in Ukraine, which is taking place right on our eastern border. Hence, the presence of artists from Ukraine, such as Sashko Protyah, as well as from Belarus and Georgia, because this perspective also proved to be highly significant to us.
MJ: This year’s SURVIVAL presents a rich array of artists, including Karolina Szymanowska (sculptor and installation artist), Aleksandra Przybysz, (a versatile multidisciplinary artist), and Mac Lewandowski, (an artist and DJ featured in the After Party lineup), among others. How do the artistic endeavours of this year’s participants relate to the concept of Erzac?
MB: In my opinion, one of the most interesting works of this year’s SURVIVAL edition that reaches into historical inspirations but cleverly and surprisingly brings them into the present is a kinetic installation by Karolina Szymanowska titled We Can Do It. The artist refers to the famous 1942 poster titled We Can Do It. Over time, this poster became a legend and a symbol of the feminist movement. It has been used in political campaigns, including Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The installation incorporates the four words from the poster, We Can Do It, written in a pixelated font that evokes the language of coding. The words We Can Do It rotate around a central axis, and this mechanism may evoke associations with the industrial revolution and industrialisation in general.
Another noteworthy work in this context is Kasper Lecnim’s installation titled New Normal, Old Habits, which is an entirely new rendition presented at SURVIVAL. It is a multi-element installation that refers to charts representing national happiness indices. These sorts of public and social research are carried out in various parts of the world, in the EU, the United States, and South America. In this installation, Kasper Lecnim uses an MDF wall to depict one of these charts. The remnants left from cutting out the chart are like debris surrounding the installation, where robots made from brushes and electronic waste move around. It is a dystopian installation that speaks to the totalitarian and top-down, imposed notion of happiness. It also addresses the grassroots aspect, highlighting that certain aspects of reality remain unchanged regardless of the governments/country’s aspirations. This attention to the garbage-like or trash-like nature of the situation, this continuous cycle of unsuccessful renovation, modernisation, and attempts to move forward, is, in my opinion, a bitter but poignant context for the whole SURVIVAL XXI exhibition.
MJ: SURVIVAL selects distinctive abandoned buildings with intriguing historical backgrounds as venues each year. Often these spaces are repurposed into communal areas for festival participants, both during and after the event. A notable illustration of this transformation is the conversion of a bunker into what today is the Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław. Tell more about the process of choosing the venuses for SURVIVAL.
MB: When it comes to choosing the venue for each edition of the SURVIVAL Art Review, the process is different every time. This is because SURVIVAL is a nomadic event, and its principle is to confront oneself with a new, unadapted, and non-obvious space in a sense. Therefore, year after year, the basic principle is that the space must be different, new, and inspiring. That’s why for many years, including this 21st edition of SURVIVAL, we have had a rule of reaching out well in advance to inquire about interesting locations in Wrocław. Sometimes, visitors to SURVIVAL, the audience, or fans, come to us and suggest certain leads. We explore various paths to determine what might be available and what may not be for various reasons. Sometimes, we become interested in a space, and it becomes possible to work and collaborate in that space after several years, which can take 5-7 years. And sometimes, certain spaces slip away from us, as they undergo revitalisation or renovation and are no longer interesting to us.
MJ: So, except for the mentioned fascinating history, what factors influenced the decision to choose Popowice Depot as the venue for this year’s SURVIVAL?
MB: During one of the meetings at the city hall, it turned out that two city departments were responsible for the Depot, which I must mention is also intended to be transformed into a museum in the future, but a museum which will hold a presentation of historic trams. However, the city was interested in having SURVIVAL make its mark in the Popowice Depot space this year and rediscover again for Wrocław and the habitants. While part of the Depot, mainly the area where historic trams are stored, is occasionally open to the public during one-day events or presentations, a significant portion remains inaccessible for a long time; for example, the picturesque workers’ bathhouse or the former modernist and stunning boiler room within the complex. I suspect These spaces have been dormant and closed for at least 20 years. Thanks to SURVIVAL, the audience can see and experience the space.
MJ: The Social Scene, one of my favourites in the programme, is an interactive platform for encounters and idea exchange. This year, it focuses, among others, on the project “Deconfining arts, culture, and politics in Europe and Africa,” giving it an international flavour. What are the objectives of the SURVIVAL XXI Social Scene and what can participants experience?
MB: The Social Scene of SURVIVAL, continuously evolves to explore topics beyond the realm of art, extending its reach through expert talks, discussions, and diverse presentations. This year’s edition will feature an added dimension of collaboration with SWPS University. As the Art Transparent Foundation, we organise SURVIVAL. Still in addition to that, we carry out a series of other projects, such as the Geppert Apartment Gallery in Wrocław, as well as several other initiatives, including international projects. We collaborate with partners from many countries and continents. The result of these collaborations will be the presentation of numerous artistic projects that will take place in the future editions of SURVIVAL in the coming years. One of such worldwide projects, perhaps the most spectacular and far-reaching, is Deconfining. This project is being developed in collaboration with countries in Southeast Africa, specifically Zambia, Uganda, and Tanzania, and it will be part of this year’s edition of SURVIVAL.
During this year’s Social Scene, we will host curators and directors from Tanzania and Zambia’s institutions. They specialise in presenting art but are also involved in the rights and history of women’s social movements, mainly working with the Women’s History Museum. In collaboration with these organisations, we have already announced a call for texts for an anthology, which will be one of the outcomes of this project. These texts will explore the broadly understood relationship between these two regions of the world, which may not seem obvious at first glance when looking at the map — Central-Eastern Europe and Southeast Africa — from various perspectives, including geopolitical and historical angles. The texts will have different characteristics, ranging from academic to memoir-like, and may even include poetic works. They will be published in an anthology but will also serve as a background and inspiration for artists working in the field of video art, including artists from Africa as well as Central and Eastern Europe, especially from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. As part of the Deconfining project, these artists will participate in reciprocal residencies in these two areas of the world. As a result of these residencies, a series of video works will be created, which will be presented both in Africa and, among other places, in Poland, specifically at future editions of SURVIVAL. All of the aforementioned will be presented within this year’s Social Scene, marking the premiere of the Deconfining project.
MJ: Another important SURVIVAL scene is the Sound Scene. What sound-related work will the audience experience in this year’s Review?
MB: The Sound Scene of SURVIVAL is a long-standing tradition. It is a constant component and an integral part of our Art Review. It is under the curatorship of Daniel Brożek. Over time this scene evolved into an ‘exhibition within an exhibition’ dedicated to sound, sound studies, understanding sound, contemplation of sound, and the phenomenon of sound perception. In Aleksandra Nowysz’s work Trwaj Chwilo jesteś piękna (Endure, Moment, You Are Beautiful), there will be a visual representation of infrastructure or, rather an extension of the existing infrastructure in the aforementioned boiler room of the Popowice Depot. On the sound level, it will be an imitation of the sound generated by that infrastructure. The sound composition, created by Agata Zemla, will consist of field recordings and sounds from the Depot and the boiler room itself. It’s a play with convention.
Another interesting work of art will be Aleksandra Przybysz’s installation titled Kaput, which, on a visual level, utilises the remnants found in the space of the Depot, the so-called ‘scraps’. These are not fully scrapped or revitalised historical trams that have undergone various incidents, such as fire damage. Now they form picturesque installations accumulated in one of the halls of the Depot. Aleksandra Przybysz’s installation will be accompanied by sound, which will be a multi-channel composition composed of recorded, specific radio broadcasts. The artist recorded these broadcasts in a specific location, a mountain cottage, a vacation spot she occasionally visits and where the radio is located. Due to its location, the radio captures and plays whatever it picks up from the airwaves, which include diverse broadcasts from different countries. It is said that fragments of German, Italian, and other languages can be heard. These fragments have a varied nature, including conversations, recitations, countdowns, and various types of music, ranging from popular music to opera. All of this creates a phantasmagorical image, a sense of mysterious transience, and raises questions about the medium of radio itself. Radio, which used to be one of the main sources of information alongside newspapers, has now become a somewhat ghostly echo, an ersatz of itself.
MJ: Tell me about the visual identity of this year’s edition. How does Łukasz Paluch’s visual identity align with the essence and concept of this year’s SURVIVAL and the works which will be featured? Is it just me, or is it dark, gloomy, sad?
MB: Yes, I agree. I think Łukasz Paluch’s visual identity this year can indeed evoke not that positive feelings. I believe when creating this project, Łukasz wanted to capture the moods of the present moment, associated with the crisis of the war in Ukraine but also everything that has changed in our post-pandemic daily lives. Of course, an important aspect of this identity is not only the dark and unpleasant sky but also the improvised installation with electric cables stretching against that sky, forming the word erzac. Here again, there is a reference to ‘do it yourself’, patching up reality, coping in one’s way, and using the tools available at the moment, often very makeshift ones. This theme, in the context of work and the imitation of the West, the pursuit of an unattainable ideal, frequently appears in the exhibition itself and the works of many artists in this year’s SURVIVAL. I think Łukasz had this in mind when thinking about this year’s visual identity, as we have discussed it many times.
MJ: SURVIVAL aims to help viewers who may feel disoriented by contemporary art feel and experience its uniqueness. In what ways will this year’s edition of SURVIVAL assist viewers in understanding and appreciating contemporary art?
MB: SURVIVAL is known for being an inclusive event, and this accessibility is reflected in all aspects, not only in words but primarily in action. It manifests itself in various fields. From the beginning, SURVIVAL has been an event that presents contemporary art, which is challenging as contemporary art is often perceived as difficult. SURVIVAL’s mission has been to bring this art closer to the audience, not only to those prepared for it but, above all, to the unprepared. It operates between art and the viewer, aiming to explain the artists’ actions. This continues to this day, and a traditional feature of SURVIVAL is the curatorial tours, not only dedicated ones but also tailored to various groups, taking place throughout the event. We have tours for parents of small kids, older kids, seniors, as well as disabled people. We prioritise reaching out to groups that are excluded from cultural participation for various reasons.
We will also have what we call ‘silent hours, ‘ a designated time during the exhibition when we lower or dim works that generate intense stimuli. This is a time when hypersensitive people, such as individuals on the autism spectrum, can experience the exhibition calmly without any threat to their comfort. Year after year, we strive for the accessibility of SURVIVAL to expand further.
21. SURVIVAL Art Review ERZAC
23-27.06.2023
Popowice Depot / Legnicka 65A, 54-204 Wrocław
Curators: Michał Bieniek, Anna Kołodziejczyk, Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz, Ewa Pluta, Daniel Brożek
Artists: Elena Berezina, Paweł Błęcki, Paweł Czekański, Uladzimir Hramovich, Jakub Jakubowicz, Gvantsa Jishkariani, Paweł Kasprzak, Jakub Kosecki, Adam Kozicki, Alicja Kubicka, Paweł Kulczyński, Zlata Lebedz, Kasper Lecnim, Mac Lewandowski, Katarzyna Malejka, Maja Mir, Jan Mioduszewski, Martyna Modzelewska, Michał Myszkowski, Małgorzata Mycek, Aleksandra Nowysz, Zofia Pałucha, Lesia Pczołka, Mateusz Piestrak, Piotr Popek, Saszko Protah, Aleksandra Przybysz, Irmina Rusicka, John Ryaner, Marta Stysiak, Szymon Szewczyk, Karolina Szymanowska, Viktoriia Tofan, Weronika Trojańska, and Agata Zemla.
Organizer: Fundacja Art Transparent / www.arttransparent.org
Survival Art Review is co-financed by the Municipality of Wrocław / www.wroclaw.pl
