Karl Marx Vs. Moby-Dick. Analysis of Forms and Deconstruction of Ideas
Friday, October 26, 2018 - Sunday, March 31, 2019
What links a white whale and a bearded German philosopher? Moby-Dick and Karl Marx are regular motifs in the artworks of Krzysztof M. Bednarski – sculptor, auctioneer and creator of installations, objects and posters who divides his time between Rome and Warsaw. In 1978, Bednarski presented his graduation work at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw titled Total Portrait of Karl Marx mocking the socially-engaged style of art popular at the time. The image of the unkempt founder of scientific socialism, reached for by Bednarski in his subsequent works, tends to stir a sense of unease; although Marx’s ideas were guided by a genuine concern for the wellbeing of people everywhere, they became an inspiration for unimaginable political and social wrongdoings. The motif of Melville’s sperm whale first appears in Bednarski’s work in the 1980s following the artist’s trip to Africa and his (unrelated) discovery of a shipwreck on the banks of the Vistula. The simple, smooth, almost mirror-like object encourages reflection on human nature and its perversions. The exhibition at MOCAK showcases the artist’s skill at extracting new meanings from the same forms by subjecting them to evolving sculptural techniques and irony-laden intellectual games. (dd)
MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow
ul. Lipowa 4
The combination of post-industrial atmosphere with a modern and functional glass and concrete structure provides a perfect framework for the presentation of important phenomena in the art of the last five decades.
A memory of the former production halls of the enamelware factory (known from Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List) melds here with a modern and functional structure of glass and concrete, providing a perfect setting for the presentation of contemporary art. MOCAK has its own, regularly expanded collection of art (both Polish and foreign) from the last five decades, and its development can be traced in the successive variations of the permanent exhibition. It has been divided into a number of sections: conceptualism, video, sculpture, and objects. It is also the venue for numerous temporary exhibitions, including a large annual problematic exhibition confronting selected questions in contemporary public life with the artists’ outlook (the presentations made so far have focused among others on history, sport, economics, crime, gender, and medicine in art). Moreover, MOCAK regularly hosts exhibitions of Kraków Photo Month. The museum runs its own library with a book collection devoted to contemporary art and humanities, runs educational activities, and manages and implements research and publication projects.
Tickets: normal PLN 20, concessions PLN 10, family PLN 43, admission free to permanent exhibitions on Thursday
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