KATARZYNA KOZYRA
Looking for Jesus
Postmasters Gallery
Katarzyna Kozyra is a well known Polish artist whose often provocative multimedia works concentrate on the subject of identity and gender. Her new film Looking for Jesus (2012-…) will be her fourth exhibition with Postmasters.
Kozyra’s starting point for this project was information about the so-called Jerusalem Syndrome, an acute delusional disorder which had been reported by medical professionals only in the 2nd half of the 20th century. After visiting the Holy Land, people afflicted with the syndrome start to identify with Biblical characters – mostly and usually with the Messiah. To date the artist has visited Jerusalem four times in order to find those, who in the early 21st century believe themselves to be Jesus. The result is a series of interviews with people from many different origins and walks of life, all of them subsequent prophets or Messiahs who try to convince the artist they are miraculous and genuine. Kozyra encounters incredible personalities. Each of her heroes hides a fascinating story, and all of them combined constitute a project presenting ways and means of carrying out one’s faith, its place and role in today’s world, and values on which we build our reality.
The editing process is yet another stage of the investigation, and at the same time it is the moment for the verification of certain facts. It is also when the artist asks herself － and us － many questions: what are the mechanisms of faith and shaping our beliefs? How do we perceive reality and how do we build our perception of it? Isn’t the critical approach and never-ending fact-checking just another expression of the instinctive desire to believe in the power of reason?