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Paweł Kwiek – a Polish photographer, filmmaker, operator, and lighting designer. One of the most prominent representatives of the Polish neo-avant-garde movement of the 1970s. He was associated with the Łódź Film Form Workshop and the Warsaw-based group of artists inspired by Oskar Hansen's Open Form concept. He passed away on March 13, 2022, at the age of 71. As a tribute to the artist, we have prepared a subjective review of his artistic activities. 

 

PHOTOGRAPHY: "Video and breath. A channel of information" (1978/2016)

This black and white photograph is a documentation of an attempt to create a hybrid of a human and an electronic device. By linking his breath to a television, the artist was able to manipulate the brightness of the screen. The even breathing in and out led to an experience he later described as a "meditative situation." 

At first glance, the dichotomy of nature and culture represents an antagonistic relationship. However, Kwiek consciously explored the roots of humanity in his work, noting that the concept of culture is not the opposite of nature, but its inevitable result. The photograph is currently on display at the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź.

FILM: "Numbers" (1973)

"Numbers" is a video belonging to the trend of structural cinema. In this movement, it was popular to present a relatively long, banal projection without a standard meaning. The half-hour long recording shows the digits of a run-up tape, counting down the time until the film starts, without finally displaying its content. Kwiek's artistic provocation is an ironic commentary on consumptionism and the habits of the viewer, who, unreflectively staring at the projected image, forgets about "proper" perception and his own role in the process of watching the film.

PERFORMANCE: "The Studio Situation (Video A)" (1974)

During a live broadcast of the Film Form Workshop in 1974, Paweł Kwiek realised a performance in the presence of a large audience. During the recording, the artist instructed the camera operators, directing the recording. The reversal of the roles was supposed to make the audience aware that the media message is distorted by the individual's way of building narration.  Both artistic endeavors and mass-media construct a world that is far from objective truth, which is unattainable when the person who operates the medium influences the creation of its content.

Added 2022-03-16 in by Julia Wysocka

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