Barbara Kozłowska: From East to West, Through the Globe, Towards the Moon

While in Prague Jiří Kovanda took to the streets and the Slovenian OHO Group resettled to the Vipava Valley, Barbara Kozłowska left her Wrocław studio and hit the beach. Like many other artists working within the geopolitical region now commonly referred to as the misnomer “Eastern Europe” they were constructing work “within nature.” And yeah, given this and the poetics that many of their oeuvres share, the assumption could quickly be made that at the time a cultural movement was brewing throughout “Eastern Europe” which held a pioneering focus on the interconnectedness of art and ecology. Still, while this isn’t necessarily untrue, what shouldn’t be overlooked is the context in which these artists operated. In this reality, each of their works inherently took on a—however subtle—political stance against the institutional structures (of art) surrounding them. The location in which they were made played a role in that too.  

Enter Barbara Kozłowska (1940–2008): a painter who abandoned painting for sculpture, a sculptor who did not stay faithful to any of the accepted schools, a concrete poet, installation artist and para-theatrical performer without métier, an oddball even amongst oddballs and, the centre of attention in our forthcoming exhibition From East to West, Through the Globe, Towards the Moon, which will open at Kunstverein on September 30. This exhibition marks the late artist’s first institutional solo show outside of Poland and celebrates an under-appreciated proponent of the Polish neo-avantgarde who actively committed to interrogating space and its organising principles. It brings together Kozłowska’s plural practice through concrete poetry, ephemera and publications, sculpture and correspondence, a restaging of two early sculptural installations as well as documentation of her performances—designed for various places around the world, even if  realised in only a few. 

Within the framework of Kozłowska’s exhibition, Kunstverein is happy to announce a series of events that will expand on Kozłowska’s practice. 

Opening night: September 30, 8pm
Followed by an After Party at Butchers Tears from 10pm 

Talking points and framework: October 1, 4–5pm
A talk by Marika Kuźmicz/ Fundacja Arton on the Wrocław ’70 Visual Arts Symposium (free)

Babbel Gallery: November 5, 2pm
A topical lunch with limited availability 

Point of View: December 1–17
An online film program expanding on Kozłowska’s interests and methodologies, in collaboration with Springs.video (free)

For further information, please contact us via office [​at​] kunstverein.nl

Tastemakers—other dates and new venues
So, what else have we been doing lately? 

We’re working on new publications through Kunstverein Publishing: the sixth volume of our anonymous in-house magazine Ginger&Piss will be out this fall, this time dedicated to the topic of space (or the lack thereof).  We’re busy gathering materials for a monographic book on the practice of Christopher D’Arcangelo in collaboration with the Fales Library at New York University and the artist’s estate. And, we’re also preparing a monographic publication on the work of Robert Wilhite, with pictures! But first, come check out our back catalogue from October 13–16 at Printed Matter’s New York Art Book Fair.

We’re also busy with expanding and rekindling our franchise. While in Amsterdam we are moving in to our newly renovated, biger and brighter location around the corner of Stedelijk Museum, a new sister is opening up in Aughrim on October 9 under the directorship of Kate Strain and an older one is waking up from her beauty nap in New York. Early next year we’re also hosting the phenomenal GB Jones and her exhibition initiated by Kunstverein Toronto. Sign on to our newsletter to stay in the loop.

Kunstverein thanks Marika Kuźmicz, Fundacja Arton, Zbiegniew Makarewicz and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute for their support of this exhibition. We would also like to thank our members, our supporters, Reform, Senso, and Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst for their continued support.