Aneta Grzeszykowska

Bolymorphia, 2008, video, 7’21”
Music by Krzysztof Penderecki, Polymorphia (1961), Maurice Ravel, Bolero (1928)

On the one hand, this machinery forged from female bodies – which, on a backdrop of nothingness, constructs incredibly precise, aesthetic figures – is pondering the creation of social mechanisms. On the other hand, it exposes their arbitrary fragility. The individual’s place in the social – and especially the historical – order is only partially “negotiable”. Historical processes are also shaped by the individual, however, as well as minor, day-to-day occurrences that can suddenly be pivotal in altering the course of events. A delicate, exposed feminine form is also a means of drawing attention to the female condition. Women are always subject to double standards, reduced rights and discriminatory traditions, particularly in countries in transition. Grzeszykowska is an artist exploring themes such as form, process and femininity. In this work, the pace and rhythm of the shifting poses and choreographic patterns also force us to reconsider the body and pleasure in a context of symbolic and political processes.

Aneta Grzeszykowska (b. 1974, Warsaw) – graphic, photographer, author of installations. Born in 1974, graduated from the Graphic Art Department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. In 2014 won Polityka’s Passport Award in The Visual Arts category. Lives and works in Warsaw.