'Fragments', my new work, is just around the corner.
A story with an invitation to my exhibition called 'Fragments'.
This is an invitation. Read on.
I haven’t had an exhibition in a long while. The last one, Sentience, in 2015 (installation view on my website) was quite nice. I still remember the reverberating sound of ambient guitar and those large projections. The book was cool, too, even if I wrote plenty of really shit poetry for it. Well, you won’t know until you outgrow it, right?
When Marcin Krupa from Scot-ART (formerly Edinburgh Palette) offered me an exhibition space, I agreed immediately. I just didn’t know what I was going to do.
At first I wanted to show some of the work made during participation in the Sputnik Mentoring Programme. But sticking a green dinosaur on my head didn’t seem like a good idea any more. Then I thought of some moving bits and pieces and a jump into live guitar performance. I chickened out, however. I can scream loudly and make noisy sounds, but that won’t keep people around for more than 30 seconds. I consulted a few friends. Through some chats and scratching my head, I decided to go with an experiment. ‘Fragments’ is just that: an experiment in seeing. Plus, I get really bored of polished exhibitions with expensive art on expensive walls, made for rich landowners of Scotland. Given the reality of Edinburgh, I felt I should take the opportunity to do something different.
So what exactly is going to happen?
I drew a circle around the neighbourhood. I will walk this area with my camera and photograph things that I see. It'll take three to five days. I am going to do this on film. On purpose; I want to leave all unnecessary technology behind. I am getting so distracted… What am I missing every day? I might collect some rubbish on my journeys to get a better feeling for the space. I don’t know. Or write stuff, or draw. Anything goes.
Mornings for the photos, afternoons for development and quick, digital, rough printing. Then, all of this will go on the walls. Visitors will be able to take home whatever they want. For each of the three days, I will be replacing the prints taken. A fresh start every day. If anyone wants to buy a bigger print, we’ll have a chat, but I don’t want to sell anything that will be on the walls. Photography is way too expensive. Books have crazy prices; prints too. I don’t want to be a part of this for as long as I don’t have to. The simple fact that someone will want to take a photo I made home is a nice thing to experience.
That’s pretty much it. I really don’t know if this is still going to work. Frankly, I am shitting my pants thinking about the photos. “What if they suck? What if no one comes? Even worse: what if people come and leave unsatisfied or, what is even more terrifying, indifferent?” That’s my internal critic speaking. Insecure and confused. You know what?
Fuck that irritating voice in my head. I am doing it anyway.
So come to St Margaret’s House in Edinburgh if you can on April 11th, 6:30 PM for an opening of ‘Fragments’. I will be waiting in the gallery on the third floor. And if you can’t come, send your friends or people you don’t like so that they suffer some art.
There’s a little more information on my website if you want.
Forward this email to anyone who might care for some raw, unusually displayed, black-and-white photography. Thanks, pal.
With love,
Wojtek
P.S. Oh, and if you’re thinking “hold on, he’s taking photos on film and printing them on the printer? Wtf?” then I have nothing to say to you but: yeah, that’s what I am going to do. Peace!