The assemblages presented at the exhibition Wojciech Kaniowski’s Film Library are part of the series Objects that the artist has been working on since 2014. In them, Kaniowski refrained from painting, replacing the brushstroke with a hammer, a saw, and construction glue. He substituted paints with photography and objects found in attics, dusty chests, and forgotten drawers.
The assemblage The Kitten Climbed the Fence, inspired by Sylwester Chęciński’s 1967 movie Our Folk (Sami Swoi), features a fence symbolizing the conflict between the quarrelling neighbors, which is one of the recurrent motifs of that comedy of manners. The work entitled In memory of Zbigniew Cybulski, drawing on the 1958 movie Ashes and Diamonds by Andrzej Wajda, displays figures related to the Home Army, the underground resistance movement (the scarlet symbol of Fighting Poland), and the motif of sacrifice (a cross set against the background of a blood-stained fabric). The assemblage also constitutes an epitaph for Cybulski, as indicated by the actor’s signature glasses incorporated in it.
The monochromatic appearance of the assemblages conjures the magic of black-and-white film. The toned-down colors are evocative of fog shrouding one’s memories. The contemplative nature of Kaniowski’s works offers a nostalgic journey into the past of Polish history and culture.
The assemblage dedicated to Andrzej Wajda’s The Promised Land (1974) was made especially for the exhibition Wojciech Kaniowski’s Film Library at the Film Museum in Łódź.
Wojciech Kaniowski
In 1972–1977, Wojciech Kaniowski studied at the Faculty of Painting, Graphic Arts, and Sculpture, State Higher School of Fine Arts in Wrocław. He graduated with honors in painting and architectural painting under the guidance of Prof. Konrad Jarodzki and Prof. Mieczysław Zdanowicz. In 1977, he started work at the School in the capacity of teaching assistant at Prof. Zbigniew Karpiński’s Painting and Drawing Studio. He had been conducting a teaching program at the Studio of Painting Design in Architecture and Urban Planning. In 1996, he was appointed professor at the School. In 1996–1999, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Painting and Sculpture, and in 1999–2005 – as Deputy Rector for Teaching. In 2002, he was awarded full professorship.
Wojciech Kaniowski specializes in painting and graphic design. In 1977–1996, he participated in dozens of exhibitions and competitions, receiving 10 awards and distinctions. He has presented his paintings in 49 individual exhibitions in Poland and internationally. His works are in private and public collections in Poland, Germany, Canada, France, and the USA. Since 1988, he has embraced the assemblage technique. By 2000, Kaniowski had created a series of works dedicated to 1960s music. Since 2003, his individual exhibitions have featured the artist’s project calendar containing the documentation of the artworks shown.
September 14 – November 12 2023
Temporary exhibition of the Film Museum in Łódź
Wojciech Kaniowski’s Film Library
Organizers:
