Ceramic forms were created as a result of applying textures from objects with a technical, machine and industrial origin, such as perforated sheet, ventilation grille or a case for a smartphone gimbal. Additionally, their form „forces” the shape they take
wooden stelae. The sculptures were presented in the context of works created in other media at an exhibition whose topic related to the mechanisms of hidden violence. In the central part of the exhibition there is an installation with a quote cut out of fabric:
„Before the outbreak of the war, Guido Relli, secretary of the Italian Embassy in the USSR, describes in his memoirs Ribbentrop’s arrival in Moscow. Preparations were made for signing of the pact in an atmosphere of such urgency that on the eve of Ribbentrop’s arrival „choreographic problems” (as the Italian diplomat calls them) arose: in Moscow, Nazi flags couldn’t be found to decorate the airport to welcome guests. They were prepared literally at the last moment by sewing swastikas onto the red ones Soviet banners; hectic rush caused some crosses with hooks to be sewn in the opposite direction. „
Karolina Babińska is the author of ephemeral and laconic, site-specific installations. This time she refers to the former function of the place where the SKALA gallery is located – it used to be a gunsmith. An arsenal as an expression with an ambiguous character and internal tension prompts the artist to consider the presence of hidden violence and the powerlessness associated with it. Collecting weapons can mean both storing them, that is, preparing for a fight, and surrendering. The artist presents a series of works in which she analyzes the need for being observant and cautious and how the body reacts to violence.
From the curatorial text: Jagna Domżalska
