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The exhibition opening on 18 March in the City Gallery in Wrocław will fill the gallery space with expressionist painting. Paintings by Zdzisław Nitka, one of the most interesting representatives of Neo-Fauvism – a trend which emerged in Poland in the 1980s, will be juxtaposed with paintings by young yet already renowned artists who in varied degrees apply formal means belonging to expressionism to their artistic practice.
Currently, Zdzisław Nitka (born 1962) is considered one of the most original painters of the Polish “new wild” generation. He distinguished himself from the trans-avant-garde artists of the 1980s primarily by expressing his contesting attitude towards reality in a non-literal way. He often used references to art, music, literature and mythology, and has never shied away from extended poetic metaphors, anecdotes and jokes. Nitka’s liking for quotations has been clearly visible in the aesthetic layer of his art works, and the painter applies a whole arsenal of expressionistic and formal procedures to recall the rich tradition of this trend. The escape from literalism, visible in his paintings at the time when art responded the then political and social unrest with a direct and firm message, along with his bold choice of solitary and introspective practice at the heyday of the flourishing collective activity, place Nitka in the position of an artist-outsider. Nitka has maintained this attitude until today, remaining true to the aesthetics developed several decades ago.
Nitka’s painting language, somewhat distanced from the contemporary times, tune in with artistic attitudes of the young expressionist artists. Accentuating their sense of inadequacy and following an inner need to negate the contemporary reality, these artists have been rebellious, accusatory, provocative, while simultaneously being melancholic, self-reflective and idealistic. They boldly use irony, sarcasm and strident criticism, only to spin their own fantastic visions of a better world a moment later. To strengthen the overtones of their narration, they extensively use varied painting means derived from the tradition of expressionism, starting with expressive contours and dynamic gestures, through saturated colours and dense texture, and up to the procedure of primitivising or misshaping forms.
“Po Nitce do kłębka” exhibition strives to confront contemporary expressionist attitudes with the aesthetic strategies that emerged in the 1980s under the name of New Expressionism. It is also a review of current expressionist conventions, which simultaneously points at the formal and narrative diversity that consistently expands the boundaries of this trend. Last but not least, the show provokes reflection on the future of expressionism in contemporary art and is an attempt to classify it as a transitory turn or a permanent and developing trend.
The title of this show can be interpreted in a number of ways. First of all, its anecdotal character (as the artist’s name – Nitka, in Polish means “thread”, so the title can be read as “follow the thread”) indicates the abundance of literary narration techniques, so eagerly used by Zdzisław Nitka and the young artists showcased in the Gallery. Secondly, processuality present in this phrase refers to the successive pushing of the limits of expression. Thirdly, the title can be interpreted in the context of individual and introspective journeys made through art by all participating artists.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 18 March to 10 June 2021.
The exhibition is curated by Katarzyna Zahorska.
