Katka Blajchert

Bez tytułu /  Untitled, 2015

sound installation

the two gates at 17-18 Strajku Dokerów Street

 

The sound installation incorporates two identical gates in Strajku Dokerów Street. The artist has filled the space of the passage with distinct stories told by those who witnessed the events or took part in them. The repeating form of the gates and their close proximity to each other illustrate the relationships between the residents of the district and their private experiences. Their stories operate in parallel; however – separated from one another as they are by the physical barrier of the wall – they may never come together, in spite of being part of the same urban space. The artist scrutinises the value systems of her protagonists, their motivation and the doubt that they have. Maintaining the stance of an external observer who refrains from value judgements, Blajchert reveals the mechanisms of how memory is constructed in relation to morally complex stances and choices. The idiosyncratic character of the architectural space that temporarily provides the setting for the events being recounted, also creates an unusual ambiance for the viewer, who becomes not only a witness to the situation but also – through the negative social connotations of the gateways to city’s tenement blocks – a participant.

Katka Blajchert (b. 1985) – lives and works in Warsaw. Grew up in Nowy Port. A student of the Intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. The author of installations, objects and films, in which she takes on board themes that affect her immediate environment, such as her family home and its environs; her works often involve restrained interventions into easily accessible spaces. Co-participant in group exhibitions in Gdańsk and Warsaw (such as this year’s Warsaw under Construction).