Szapocznikow. Personal
About the event
The brutal forms of Alina Szapocznikow's works - torn, deformed figures - and the naturalism of her polyester casts are marked by strong expression.
The sculptor, however, began with a style typical of Socialist Realism, interpreting it entirely in her own way. Over time she moved far away from the socialist-realist convention. Through her art she processed the painful memory of wartime events - she was a teenage prisoner in concentration camps, and the Holocaust cost her some close relatives. In 1969 she was diagnosed with breast cancer - from then on, in a bold manner previously unseen in art, she referred directly and frankly to her illness.
Despite these dramatic experiences, in her works she sought to emphasize the sensual and erotic aspects of human existence.
At the center of Alina Szapocznikow's work remains the body, which conveys both dramatic histories and sensual pleasure. The body - one's own and the foreign body; the face, from which, like in a Herbarium, one can read a whole spectrum of emotions and depth of symbolism. The exhibition aims to affect the viewer almost haptically - despite the impossibility of touching the artworks, it should create an impression of bodily closeness. The small exhibition space allows for a truly personal contact of the audience with Szapocznikow's sensitivity.
- Curator: Agata Małodobry
- Coordinator: Gabriela Kuleczko
- Arrangement: Marta Staszków
- Place: MNK Gmach Główny
- Date: 20.03-23.08.2026
Partners:
- Patron of MNK: PGE
- Strategic partner of MNK: Totalizator Sportowy
- Media partners: Radio Kraków; Radio Kraków Kultura
