Katarzyna Kozyra - Being somebody who you are (not)

A penetrating insight into the work of an outstanding Polish artist and an icon of critical art.

The selection of works – from the Men’s Bathhouse which was awarded a prize at the Venice Biennale, to Looking for Jesus, to the latest performances – has been guided by the idea of fluid identity, which is crucial from the perspective of over thirty years of continuing presence of Katarzyna Kozyra in the art world.

The exhibition will allow the audience to look at Kozyra’s work as an area of constant experimentation related to the experience and definition of identity, body and gender. In her works and creative processes, the artist casts herself in ever-changing roles, using a variety of means of expression, such as video, photography, video-installation and performance.

Kozyra’s art provides a contextual commentary on patriarchal structures and binary identities. Over the years of her presence on the world art scene, she has accustomed viewers to a critical voice confronting uncomfortable subjects, often presenting and accentuating the role of the non-normative body: the sick, the old, the queer.

The last decade has seen a shift in the artist’s creative strategy. Since Looking for Jesus, Kozyra has been employing a practice of “detachment”, resulting from a number of factors, including a sense of fatigue with the mechanism of gallery performance. By presenting works created in the last three decades of Kozyra’s creative activity, the exhibition demonstrates the artist’s quest to demonstrate the complex character of the subject matter – performative, incoherent, evasive.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication containing reproductions of the works and texts by the curators, Nina Hobgarska and Ada Piekarska, Jiří Jůza, Karol Radziszewski, Agata Smalcerz, Kateřina Štroblová and Andrzej Wajs.

 

Agnieszka Katarzyna Kozyra was born on 1 February 1963 in Warsaw. In 1989 she began her studies at the Faculty of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. In her first year she studied sculpture under Gustaw Zemla, and from her second year until the end of her studies in the studio of docent Grzegorz Kowalski. In 1992, she was diagnosed with malignant granulomatosis. Her battle with the disease lasted more than four years. Its peak and difficult treatment coincided with the creation of her thesis, which was created under the supervision of Prof. G. Kowalski. It was the famous Pyramid of Animals, a sculpture made of stuffed animals: a horse, dog, cat and cock, accompanied by a film documenting the process of killing and preparing the horse. The thesis, inspired by a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, whose defence took place in June 1993, provoked a stormy response, a discussion in the media, protests, attacks and accusations. The artist's motivation was not penetrated, accusing her and contemporary art of amorality. At the same time, it was recognised as an important voice in defence of animal rights, as well as drawing attention to the presence and social significance of art.
Her Men’s Bathhouse represented Poland at the 48th Venice Art Biennale. The artist was awarded an honourable mention “for exploring and challenging the authoritarian domain of the male territory, combining elements of performance art and staging” (a quote from the Jury’s official announcement). This is the highest accolade so far won by Polish artists at the Venice Biennale.

Selection of works: Pyramid of Animals (1993), Blood Ties (1995), Olympia (1996), Bathhouse (1997), Men’s Bathhouse (1999), The Rite of Spring (1999-2002), Punishment and Crime (2002), In Art Dreams Come True (2003-2009), Casting (2010), Looking for Jesus (2012), Homo Quadrupeds (2018), Dream of Linnaeus’ Daughter’ (2018), Fressen (2021), Sleep (2023).

Photo by Kasia Szumska

 

Viewing details

Some of the works in the exhibition depict images of nudity. Minors may view them when accompanied by a guardian or with their written permission.

The upper exhibition hall is darkened. It features video projects which viewers can listen to with the aid headphones available on site. 

Curated tour
Saturday, 18 January 2025 at 1pm (free entry).

Guided tours by the curators Ada Piekarska and Nina Hobgarska, and the artist herself.  

Galeria Bielska BWA, Bielsko-Biała, ul. 3 Maja 11
Katarzyna Kozyra – Being Somebody Who You Are (Not)
Curated by: Ada Piekarska, Nina Hobgarska
17 January – 16 March 2025
Opening: Friday, 17 January, 2025 at 6 pm