Ania Nowak
Can You Die of a Broken Heart?
The Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art presents an exhibition by Ania Nowak Can You Die of a Broken Heart? in which the artist investigates the complicated relationships between the body, the psyche and the environment. It consists of a video performance recorded at the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Powsin, and a performance that will be presented in the Project Room on 1 September.
The artist is interested in the disease as a state in which the border between the norm and pathology is constantly being negotiated, and the identity of the patients themselves becomes inflamed. The language used to describe the horror of the body is crucial here. Nowak also investigates the relationship between illness and time in sudden dysfunctions and chronic diseases, as defined by the dynamics of the relapse and remission.
Nowak’s project is a fantasy about a tropical landscape stricken with a fever of unknown origin. The exhibition will be host to tow Agapornis parrots, which will be looked after over the entire duration of the project by Agnieszka Kłos, one of the employees of U–jazdowski. These birds, commonly known as lovebirds, are famous for their long-lasting monogamous relationships. Contrary to popular opinion, after the death of one of the partners, the other does not die of longing and can start a new relationship with another lovebird.
The exhibition Can You Die of a Broken Heart? is the fourth edition of the Project Room this year, following projects by Grzegorz Stefański, Maria Toboła and Weronika Gęsicka. The Project Room series at U–jazdowski presents the work of emerging Polish artists, with premiere exhibitions prepared especially for this space. This year it will also include exhibitions by Karolina Mełnicka and Karolina Babińska. An international jury will award a 1st Prize (20 000 PLN) and 2nd Prize (10 000 PLN) to the two best exhibitions. The winners will be announced in January 2019.
- Ania Nowak
- Her choreographic practice approaches vulnerability and desire as ways towards reimagining what bodies and language can do. She researches love as a strategy of generating knowledge with a focus on affective economies of care and companionship, and redefining sensuality. Her works have been presented at Sophiensaele and Akademie der Künste in Berlin; Nowy Teatr, Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art and Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw; Art Stations Foundation in Poznań; National Center of Dance in Bucharest; Arts Santa Mònica in Barcelona and Kulturhuset in Stockholm. Nowak graduated from “Dance/Context/Choreography” at HZT Berlin. She lives and works in Berlin. http://technologiesoflove.tumblr.com
- The conditions in which the lovebirds are kept at Ania Nowak's exhibition have been consulted on with the Chief Veterinary Inspector in Warsaw.
