Christian Jankowski
Heavy Weight History
Heavy Weight History was created for Christian Jankowski’s exhibition at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in 2013. The artist invited powerlifting champions to take on the challenge of lifting the Warsaw monuments of Ludwik Waryński, Willy Brandt, the Mermaid, Ronald Reagan and Brotherhood of Arms, with their struggles being commented on by sports journalist Michał Olszański. The athletes’ efforts illustrate the burden of history, which requires extraordinary strength to face. The project addresses the issue of symbolism of monuments in public space and their impact on our perception of history. Olszański’s commentary encourages reflection on whether historical monuments bring the past to life, or rather make it
heavy and dead.
Christian Jankowski
(b. 1968) a German artist whose practice combines video, photography, installation and performance art. Jankowski studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg. In 2016, he was the curator of Manifesta 11, becoming the first artist to hold this position. He is the winner of the Heitland Foundation Award (2013) and the Finkenwerder Art Award (2015).