Alicja Biała. Acid Pond
Thursday, October 10, 2024, 6:00 PM - Sunday, March 9, 2025
In her most recent projects, Alicja Biała addresses the anxiety associated with human domination over the natural environment. Her exhibition, part of a series of solo presentations by artists from the MOCAK Collection, includes two series of works: Expulsion from Paradise (2022–2023) and Hyperaccumulators (2024). The former are curtains made from copper and zinc, from ores mined in several mines in England, Germany, Poland and Wales. The artist applies life-size representations of Adam and Eve to the metal sheets, which she subjects to acidic water by immersing them in mining ponds. The metal curtains are etched by the acid, leaving intact the fragments protected by varnish.
The biblical motif of expulsion from Paradise alludes to representations from old masters –paintings by Cranach, Dürer and Rembrandt. Submerged in toxic water, Eve and Adam become a symbol of poisoning the environment. The artist compares the destruction of nature by humankind to becoming alienated from Paradise: ‘We had been given the Garden of Eden, but we have banished ourselves from it’.
The second series presented, Hyperaccumulators, are sculptural representations of nettles, which belong to a group of several hundred species of hyperaccumulating plants, which draw heavy metals from the soil or water. Planting such species is one method of cleaning up contaminated post-industrial sites. The copper sculptures have become a monument to nature, highlighting its ability to self-regulate and the part it plays in mitigating the effects of human impact on the environment.
Alicja Biała (b. 1993) – illustrator, graphic designer, visual artist. Graduate of VIA University College, Central Denmark, Copenhagen School of Design and Technology (KEA) in Copenhagen, and the Royal College of Art in London. Author of the murals Cykliści (Cyclists, 2016, Warsaw), Widows and Widowers (2016, Águeda), Mexico Dances (2017, Mexico) and Unknown (2017, Kassel).
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. 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 24, concessions PLN 14, family PLN 55, admission free to permanent exhibitions on Thursday
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