29 April - 22 May
Finissage - Sunday, 22 May, 12.30 pm.
Curator - Małgorzata Maćkowiak
Artysts participating in the exhibition: Klaudia Gaugier, Renata Gołaszewska-Adamczyk, Paulina Kara, Inez Krupińska, Małgorzata Maćkowiak, Mirosława Truchta-Nowicka

_________________________________________________________________

An exhibition of works by artists gathered in a group called Polish Art Puppet POLA which focuses on the popularization of Polish puppetry in its most exquisite artistic forms. The group operates under the auspices of Józef Wilkoń and his Arka Foundation.

An art puppet is defined as a visual object - a kind of sculpture portraying a human being. It is an entirely autonomous work, not meant to perform on stage, tell a story or serve as part of a larger composition. What's important is the power of the aesthetic and emotional message it carries.

Elżbieta Dziwisz describes the exhibition in the text A Puppet will Tell You the Truth:

"It was in mid-autumn, on 25 October 2014, when eight artists decided to form the Polish Art Puppet "POLA" group (today the group has nine members). It hasn't been two years, and they're already organizing their puppet exhibition for the fourth time. The forthcoming one will accompany the 27th International Festival of Puppetry Art, which is organized by the Banialuka Puppet Theatre and scheduled to be held between 18 and 22 May in Bielsko-Biała. The exhibition will feature nearly 100 puppets - some with happy and friendly faces, others with angry, painful, sad or sneering expressions, and still others filled with mystical rapture. Each of the puppets has its own character and style, and nearly every one of them provokes the viewer to try and recognize the emotions they reflect. And in addition to their individual shape, they also posses something else. But what? Some say it's the soul ... They may well be right. After all, they were created in the studios of recognised visual artists who never cease to look for new creative solutions: Klaudia Gaugier, Renata Gołaszewska-Adamczyk, Paulina Kara, Inez Krupińska Malgorzata Mackowiak and Mirosława Truchta-Nowicka (this time the three remaining members of the POLA group have abstained). Why are the puppets so important for their artistic expressions? "Neither flat paintings nor statues have ever given me the opportunity to express my emotions, and art is primarily about emotions. Only puppets turned out to be the perfect medium to demonstrate all sorts of feelings and passions. An object was given spirituality, which had been achieved by the appearance of life, expressing itself in gaze, facial grimace or gesture. When I create a puppet, I try to combine this spirituality with matter, which gives the object a deep expression "- says Klaudia Gaugier reflecting on her choice of creative development.
In order to reveal this deep expression, artists reach for textiles, natural leather, wood, refractory and porcelain clay, papier-mâché, beeswax, fleece, wool, metal parts, which they use to make an array of various human figures. A puppet will tell you the truth. And it's the truth that constitutes the core of art. The cheerful and bright one, but also the dark and painful one, which can't be expressed in any other way."

The exhibition is accompanied by the documentary Puppets are not Toys portraying the artists, their inspirations, creative processes, and the formal language of this art.

Written and directed by: Jan Strękowski
Photos and editing: Grzegorz Adamczyk
Music: Klaudia Gaugier
Poland 2015

The exhibition accompanies the 27th International Festival of Puppetry Art in Bielsko-Biała, organized the Banialuka Puppet Thatre.

Free admission during the festival (18 - 22 May).

More information on the POLA group's website >>      _____________________________________________________________________