Agata Biskup PANELLING
A few years ago, Agata Biskup’s family sold the house she grew up in. Her parents wanted to set up a whole new one. The odd part is that the planned building was to go on the same plot of land, right next to the old one. This inspired Biskup to create a visual record of her family home. After the move, Agata will see the architecture of her childhood years from the windows of her new home, but the space her family history took place in for 25 years will be irrevocably lost.
Made up of photos and pictures of Agata Biskup’s home, “Panelling” is a very personal work that still achieves universality in describing the transformation of Polish society and its sacrifices for a “brave new world.” The project uses the immortal kitsch of the People’s Republic-era homes. Biskup refuses to turn away from this compromised aesthetic; instead she uses it as a language of private recollections.
While working on “Panelling”, Agata Biskup painted pictures presenting the interiors of the old house, then hung them in the places they represent, and photographed them as if to “frame” the canvases. In this way she considered the relationship between photography and paintings, while creating a narrative thread.
The use of illusion might be identified with a yearning to reach the truth behind the reality presented. Unfortunately, these objects and experiences are lost forever. According to Kant, reality is in itself unknowable, and the process of acquiring knowledge can concern only its images. Agata Biskup is trying to define her own vision of the surrounding world. In the context of “Panelling”, realism turns out to be an expression of loss and separation. The project is thus not a record of reality, but focuses on the impossibility of accessing it.
Agata Biskup PANELLING - opening 11 May 2008, 3:30 p.m., 15/2 Gertrudy Street, Krakow.
Exhibition lasts form 6 May until 31 May 2008
Tuesday-Friday 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday noon - 6 p.m.
Special thanks to Miejsce Shop for lending the furniture for the exhibition.
Photographies by Jakub Pierzchała.