Monika Drożyńska, Two, flag, hand embroidery on cotton fabric (presentation in real space), 70 × 100 cm, photo: M. Zaniewski, Arsenal Gallery in Białystok
address: solidarityandagency.online
Artists: Adelina Cimochowicz, Monika Drożyńska, Galeria Komputer, Barbara Gryka, Juliana Höschlová, Magdalena Kosek, Daniel Kotowski, Diana Lelonek i Edka Jarząb, Marta Mariańska, Rita Müller, Arek Pasożyt, Shukhliada and Photinus Studio School (authors: Yevhenii Arlov, Anna Ivchenko, Max Nykyforiv, Oleksandr Reznikov, Oleksandr Sirous, Igor Sokolov, Yevhenii Svystun, Dmytro Tentiuk, Taira Umarova, Mykhailo Vybodovskyi; curators: Lera Polianskova, Max Robotov, Ivan Svitlychnyi), Marta Romankiv, Ala Savashevich, Sergey Shabohin, Katya Shadkovska, Jana Shostak, Jaśmina Wójcik i Jakub Wróblewski, Weronika Zalewska, Paweł Żukowski
Curators: Katarzyna Różniak, Eliza Urwanowicz-Rojecka
Production: Ewa Chacianowska
Collaboration: Tomek Pawłowski
Key visual and web design of exhibition: Michał Szota
We initiated the Solidarity and Agency project at the Arsenal Gallery in Białystok during the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, when on March 12, 2020 cultural institutions in Poland were closed. It was Rebecca Solnit who inspired us to talk about solidarity during the crisis, convincing us that it is at the times of disaster that we become solidary, altruistic and empathic.
During last weeks, we have all been observing self-help and solidarity actions both on a large scale an within small local communities. Despite the necessity of “social distance”, or else – thanks to it, we have found ways and tools for community-focused practices.
Artists presented at this exhibition focus on solidary and agential attitudes. We hope that such a way of imaging and commemorating the crisis – though only partial – can be an inspiration for further practice of solidarity and imagination. We would like it to inspire faith in future and in the agency of each of us. The end of this story hasn’t been written yet.
Adelina Cimochowicz, untitled, digital photograph from the Naga ja Gaja (I, Gaea the Naked) series, 2020