We made a mess.
My third institutional show in six months. Each very different and challenged in a different way. It seems that the art world looks at crisis as always an external factor that has nothing to do with its internalities. There is very little understanding within it towards resilience based on adaptive change that should be revolutionary in nature. It is perfectly visible that art systems became more conservative and bureaucratic in nature since COVID-19. The superficial openness and experimentation are aimed at preserving existing structures that have detached themselves from art so much that it is just a glitter on the surface of the operations. The upcoming Venice Biennale can be seen as a perfect example of it—there is more talk about all the new and banned pavilions, foundations popping up alongside galleries and residencies, than about where the art is going or what it should discuss. Most of the press releases focus on bullshitting that it is all care, inclusive, open, and gentle, whilst on the ground is a dog-eat-dog atmosphere of extreme competition between people hanging on to their antiquated ways of thinking and doing.
"Czarnota" by Tomasz Kulka at the State Gallery of Art in Sopot is about that. The feeling that all of this is rotten, spoiled, and vile yet covered in splendor. The world pushes towards an economy in which idiocracy can't be challenged, as it uses tools of inclusivity, care, and nonjudgmental language against the values they once represented. To prevent that, a new radicality has to emerge. One that is much less binary in nature, fluid, and acknowledging the fact that not everything is for everyone and that not being nice is not the cardinal sin. Perhaps the way out is not to "get a grip" but to loosen it, break stuff, and stop caring so much about being all good.
Bring the dirty on top. Suppress the nice. We don't have to be friends to avoid being enemies.
@tomaszkulka999@pgs_w_sopocie
#exhibition #art #minox
Until 7.02.2026 @galerialabirynt
Janusz Baldyga’s "Proof of Work" is built from a series of objects that have a very specific action inscribed in their existence. One could say that each work forming the exhibition is a different activity that has been or can be performed. Sometimes they are very simple, like throwing flags on the ground – "Flags Thrown" – which is a quick gesture requiring no effort, or they are accompanied by the necessity of performing a long and exhausting performance – How to Cross a Fence Unnoticed. Each of them is constructed in a way that takes into account the presence of the working body of the artist or the viewer.
The best example of this is the work "Honor Guard", which simultaneously opens and closes the exhibition, and although at first glance it is simply a sculpture made of very raw and simple materials, its meaning is built through the presence of all viewers visiting the exhibition, who are forced to define themselves in relation to it, standing on one side of the wall or the other. Janusz Baldyga shares his work, giving testimony to it either in the objects themselves or in the recordings of performances shown at the exhibition.
Above all, however, the essence of the exhibition Proof of Work is the desire to show how much effort viewers put into making art possible. Whether aware of it or not, by watching the exhibition they become part of it—a part that was only partially planned. The risk inscribed in this presentation is perfectly reflected in the work accompanying this text. "300 Seconds of the Bridge" is a recording of waiting for the arrival of a train. Limited by the length of the film tape, it contains immense uncertainty, a meditative struggle with the desire to give up continuing the work being done. Ultimately, the train arrives. It crowns the work. The effort was not in vain.
#exhibitiom #curating
Venice Biennale Summary Report
Art
If this Biennale is to be compared to anything it was a Spotify Wrapped playlist of some highly functioning psychopath who's three favorite genres of music are Black Metal, Non-European Folk and Smooth Jazz.
And they are in top 0.1% of listeners globally.
More... art
There is no such thing as "too much art." You have to be selective and do your research beforehand. If you go to Venice to discover things by just looking at the shows, you will either be very lucky to succeed or will come back disappointed with realization that there is surprisingly a lot of bad pottery in the world.
"The performative shift"
With at least four very impressive pavilions that center their experience around people doing things live on view, one would expect that performance discourse would enter the mainstream art world. That's not yet the case, as it seems that bombastic pavilions centered around elaborate installations are being replaced by bombastic pavilions centered around bodies present in the space. The shift is there, but the gear is still in neutral.
How did the protests perform?
Every year, there is one (or dozens) weirdo in front of the entrance to the Biennale doing something as a means of protest. They contest the art, art world, art market, or traditional politics. This year was no different, but with a hefty amount of true protest protests that hopefully will influence how the Biennale operates.
I recall the 2022 edition when pretty much nobody was stopped from literally pissing on the Russian pavilion. Oh... Happy days are over; now we piss in the Austrian pavilion for art's sake.
The seagull
How dull this thing must appear to people, or maybe we are just brain-rotted by it, for a singular seagull making a nest in front of the Polish pavilion to make news. A natural curiosity in the middle of a cultural jungle makes people more aware of climate and ecology issues than all the stones and seashells in the main show. A signum temporis.
*I would be happier to see that it was a pigeon, not this violent ice cream-stealing bandit.
Just go!
#venice #venicebiennale
Importance of Separation
Curating an exhibition is not only putting things together but also separating them. The density of the main show of this year's Biennale, and the proximity of national pavilions in Giardini and especially in Arsenale, pose a challenge to the viewer that seems unnecessary and somewhat wrong.
This works to the benefit of the exhibitions in town, as walking between them acts as a cleansing ceremony. Nevertheless, if you don't pace yourself, you acquire art-induced brainrot.
Separation of State and Church
Today is the day of protests, and many would like to draw a dividing line between politics and art. Others will strip art of its political agency, claiming its purity. Others will claim there is no place for political action on the biennale grounds.
They are not only wrong but also in service of "unfreedom." Totalitarian and anti-democratic regimes have played the biennale game for far too long without any scrutiny.
It is not only Russia's, Israel's, and the USA's participation that is problematic. The protests aim at the very essence of the Biennale's structure, which drifted away from serving art a long time ago.
No Coke in the Church
The closer it gets to the end of the Preview days, the less special the time feels. The exhibition staff is already tired and sees the biennale crowd as less valuable or more generic than just 24 hours ago.
No more curators are on site, and scoring a catalog is almost impossible. The last hours of the Preview feel remarkably normal and calm. It slowly transforms into the show it will be for months to come. You have to behave accordingly, so please "No Coke in the Church," even if it is an exhibition space.
#labiennale #venicebiennale #artworĺd
No Art Olympics
"Biennale is the Olympics of Art" - oh my dear, how mistaken you are. The fact that there is, or much rather was, an award doesn't make it a competition. It was designed for the family of the world's countries to be together. The fact that the family has issues doesn't nullify that idea.
If one has to use the sloppy metaphor of "something of something," the Biennale is the UN of arts. Also in bad shape.
Exercise in Queue Culture
If your pavilion has no queue, I guess you did a sloppy job. Of course, if you loaded it with a performative act, then it is a different story, but otherwise, you can't keep the attention of the Biennale crowd long enough for them to fill your place to the brim.
A perfect example is the USA pavilion which, without the financial and lobby support of powerful actors, looks like a place of quiet reflection and rest.
The fragility of the tissue of art is so visible this time.
The Visuality in Crisis
Overstimulated eyes see a blur. The 2D of a screen renders 3D simplified and uninteresting. Only physical engagement attains attention, and the "minor keys" of very subtle and delicate works are not getting the attention they deserve.
Art has to drop the idea of being visual culture and take over the economy of emotions. We are the movers of hearts.
"Art is art. Everything else is everything else."
#art #venicebiennale #venice
The Venetian Standard
Over the years, the Biennale national pavilions have developed a certain standard. It seems that one can follow a list of certain checkboxes to create one. No matter the art, certain signage, title wording, and even the spatial setting make it happen.
This has to change, as orthodoxy means death to art. On the other hand, the know-how of the Biennale's ways has to proliferate.
Too many curators have figured it out, and the number of "I found a country willing to participate for the first time" pavilions is sadly large.
The Poor Biennale, Biennale of the Poor
No tote for me, no tote bag for you. You not only rarely meet the authors at the pavilions during the preview, but there is barely any swag. Press kit in QR code, catalog available for purchase at bookstore, artist is not present as they left for budgetary reasons.
You certainly see that many pavilions are underfunded, not to mention the main show where artists are paid pennies for their utmost effort. American money is gone and European cash is thin. Unless you are going to whore yourself to totalitarian regimes you are left with very little.
Agency of None
This was a day of protest. The attention given to the anticipation thereof is inversely proportional to the effect. The effort toward pushing out those who are unwanted by a vocal minority is certainly appreciated but to no avail.
Boycotts, protests, and action are needed, but hopes for change are equally little.
Resist.
#venicebiennale #venice
The Party is Over
If you thought that coming to Venice for the day of the official Biennale Preview puts you on top of things, you couldn't be more mistaken. The shanaigans of the riches and their art world enablers, including yours truly, already started Sunday with many of them leaving after being granted special access to Biennale grounds on Tuesday.
One can scream, "Eat the rich," but the buffet is well-guarded, and most won't find the entrance.
The era of the two, if not three, tier Venice Biennale Preview has begun.
Game Recognizes Game
Being here during this time is still special. Walking through Venice, you notice those who walk faster, in premium swag, or just with this "I'm the art" demeanor. They attract and repel each other, judging where in the fantasmatic hierarchy of things they reside.
Recently, Venice has moved from being just an art destination to the home of multiple institutions and individuals. You read "based in Venice" quite often nowadays, which is good.
"Where is the protest Dear?"
Since only a few have seen the Giardini, not to mention the Arsenale, the city takes over in the never-ending roulette of "What is good?"
You rarely talk about art... The issues of boycott, politics, and who did what to whom overwhelm the discourse. Also, the criticism will only form after all this ends. Probably, it will pass as a seasonal flu, returning next year.
Time will tell.
#venicebiennale #venice
Marina Abramović is still with us.
Georg Baselitz is not.
At the opening of her dell'Accademia show, Abramović stated that she cried when she first came to Venice at age 12. It sounded as if she was addressing her privilege, but anyone who did anything Biennale-related in Venice knows that the luxury of crying is something that most of the people behind the show can't afford.
The atmosphere amongst pavilion teams is tense, as the competition for the Golden Lion has been turned into a beauty pageant that most of them can't even dream of winning.
A local, impromptu MMA league is being organized within the confines of the Arsenale.
Venice in Death
This biennale is marked by death. The great equalizer of life is acting at its own discretion and without mercy. It took away some of the great, and the vultures are homing in.
It would be tragic or sad if not for the fact that it functions as a symptom of the state of worldly affairs. If looking at the news makes you want to just lie down and die, the sheer fact that representatives of warmongering countries roam free can be a true mood killer.
BYOA - "Bring Your Own Audience"
It seems that to do anything here, you have to bring your own people, as competition for every hourly timeslot is fierce. The events had spread and started as early as the weekend before.
Spatial distribution is so vast and dense it poses a question if this is even a part of the Biennale? Maybe Arsenale and Giardini functions as an addition to all of the mega-foundations bringing in mega-gallery-grade shows.
The punk times are gone, and to have any visibility requires tremendous competence and dough.
#venicebiennale #venice #marinaabramovic
Through 131 years, the Biennale underwent multiple crises. This time is not life-threatening—it almost ceased to exist a few times before—but this time it is a polycrisis Venice has not seen before. It cannot be seen solely through the "boycott Russia/Israel/USA" lens. The thing that enabled this situation is the true problem.
The Biennale became a soft power playground for antidemocratic regimes. It is enabled by how it is structured and financed. While totalitarian actors thrive, art and artists from free countries struggle to compete with bullies not limited by democratic values.
The death of Koyo Kouoh created a void of decisiveness and guardianship of the "art and values come first" principle. The curatorial team can try to compensate, but it must be very hard for them to project authority and wit given the circumstances. This shows how important curatorial practice is as a bridge between the abstract and the organizational.
The role of curator has to be strengthened and supported, and not used as a validator of special interests.
The Venice Biennale is a beautiful thing. Unlike other big exhibitions, its unique format creates a purely chaotic environment that won't and can't be controlled. On one hand, it can be seen as "democratic"; on the other, as a "dog-eat-dog" situation. Without safeguards based on values, a bureaucratic mentality, malice, and the influence of wealth take over. After about 30 years in its current form, we can see that this has reached a breaking point.
The saturation of non-art-related interests has rendered the Biennale so far removed from its declared values that its whole modus operandi has to be reformed.
4. Should art and artists rise and act?
No and yes. Art is vulnerable and fragile and has little to zero agency that can be asserted to it being art. The responsibility to resist the process of instrumentalization of the biennale by bad actors lies in the hands of national pavilions, patrons, and art communities.
As Slovenian political prisoner Melania Trump said, "Be best."
#venicebiennale #biennale #venice
W interwencji „System kontroli tłumu”, przygotowanej przez Janusza Bałdygę specjalnie na potrzeby wystawy przy ul. Powroźniczej 13/15, elementy infrastruktury wystawienniczej – taśmy, słupki, znaki, instrukcje (w tym grzmiący z głośników komunikat „widzę was”) – wychodzą z tła i walczą o uwagę z pozostałymi elementami ekspozycji. Nie ułatwiają odbioru wystawy, wręcz przeciwnie, komplikują go.
Wystawa „Kierunek zwiedzania” nie unieważnia całkowicie geleryjnych/muzealnych zasad zwiedzania, ale ujawnia ich działanie – podszyte intencją nadmiernej kontroli.
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kurator: Jacek Sosnowski @curating666
fot. Tomasz Koszewnik @tomkoszewnik
The Unsolicited Curatorial Guide to Venice Biennale by yours truly.
1. Suffering from FOMO? - don't go.
The sense that you are at the wrong show, party, boat, queue is all encompassing and everyone suffers from it.
2. Hope for the best prepare for the average - the scale and professionalism of the art world eliminated risk and killed possibility of frivolous expression of ideas
3. Flex your flex. If you are in you are in. Impersonate, lie, exaggerate your position. In worst case scenario you won't get in in best you will drink at someone's expense.
5. Hydrate. Between 25k steps a day and two bottles of prosecco there is thin line of failing homeostasis.
Falling into the canal doesn't count.
5. Randomise - don't pre plan everything, leave space for random encounters, discoveries, and believe it or not - amazing art you yet don't know.
6. Get laid - in many cases STD or a hickey is the best thing you might have out of it. After dropping 3k on just being there, your best shoes ruined, and missed flight, you better get some enjoyment out of this.
7. Do it for the art - discover, learn, inspire yourself. If you have true business there this guide was not for you. You are already a player. Part of what makes Venice Biennale so special is the fact that it is great equaliser of status. It slows everyone down, it is a burden, a pilgrimage.
#venice #biennalearte #venicebiennale #artbiennale #biennale
