ANNA AND IRENA NAWROT – THEM

This joint exhibition of the Nawrot sisters focuses on the image of the woman, and ways in which women function and are perceived in public and private spaces.

Irena Nawrot:
"Them" ("One") is our fifth joint exhibition. It all started in 1985 at the Galeria Pracownia Dziekanka in Warsaw; the following exhibitions were presented in 1987 at the ON Gallery in Poznań, in 2018 at Galeria BWA in Kielce, and then at Galeria Biała in Lublin this year.

The upcoming exhibition in Galeria Bielska BWA features both new and older works, all combined into a new and unique narrative. In our work, we focus on women, their image, and the way they are perceived in social and private areas. Ania draws on various cultural presentations of the present day woman including cultural and mental clichés. I, on the other hand, focus on the physical side, while referring to my own personal experiences.

The exhibition features textile and photographic collages, spatial objects, photographs, and paintings made of yarn and embroidery. Sewing thread and yarn constitute both formal and symbolic leitmotif of this presentation. Ania decorates tablecloths, scarves and other patterned fabrics with embroidered images of female and animal figures. I stitch together photographs of animals, flowers and fragments of the human body. Ania wraps red yarn around plaster, wooden and plastic female figurines. I photograph living human bodies bandaged with red yarn. Ania’s yarn balls have legs and arms of dolls sticking out of them, whereas in my photos, human arms and legs embrace enormous cocoons.
Although the exhibition reflects our own personal experiences, it also takes on a universal dimension. It addresses the fears and traumas that can affect anyone . We were both born in 1960 and we both graduated from the Institute of Artistic Education (now the Faculty of Arts) of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. Anna has been continuously running Galeria Biała (with Jan Gryka) since 1985, I have been working in my alma mater since 1984.

The exhibition runs from 9 October 9 to 19 November, 2020.

The opening: Friday, 9 October, 2020 at 6 pm

Curated tour: Friday, 9 October, 2010 at 5 p.m.

Visitors will be guided by the sister artists Anna and Irena Nawrot

Read more about Irena Nawrot’s exhibition “Rosarium” which was presented at Galeria Bielska BWA from 6 February to 12 March, 2015) >>

_______________________________________________________________________________________

ACCOMPANYING EVENTS
Saturday, 10 October, 2020
at 10 am
“Needlework”  – workshop for adults run by Anna and Irena Nawrot
The workshop, which is addressed to all those who enjoy tinkering with a needle and thread, will result in the production of a single textile collage.
at 3 pm
Guided tour of the exhibition "Them" for the blind and visually impaired.
The tour will be led by Anna and Irena Nawrot.
The artists will talk about their works, their message and creative methods, enabling viewers with visual impairments to get acquainted with selected works through the sense of touch.
at 4 pm
Woman in Art – a meeting with artists Anna and Irena Nawrot and the stage actress Wiktoria Węgrzyn-Lichosyt
The meeting will be hosted by Zuzanna Bojda
A meeting with Anna and Irena Nawrot and stage actress Wiktoria Węgrzyn-Lichosyt. The conversation will concern the image of a woman, and the way she is perceived in private and public spaces.

Tuesday, 13 October, 4 pm
A training session for teachers and culture animators related to the exhibition of Anna and Irena Nawrot "Them"

Irena Nawrot talks about her "Autobiography"

Anna and Irena Nawrot talking about their artworks on exhibition

Anna and Irena Nawrot, Them - the opening of the exhibition