Opening of the exhibition:
When: 10/09/2021, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Galeria Labirynt 2, ul. Grodzka 3, Lublin
Accessibility: The exhibition is held in a space not accessible for people with motor impairments. Opening interpreted into the Polish sign language (PJM); interpreter: Ewelina Lachowska. Opening interpreted into English; interpreter: Krystian Kaminski.
Admission: Free.

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The exhibition presents works that were created during the six-month stay in Lublin as part of the Gaude Polonia residency programme.

Evghenia Gritscu puts her own life experiences in the spotlight. In her works, she tries to focus on universal topics.

The installation “Not my body” will remain in the process of destruction throughout the duration of the exhibition. It is not known how long it is going to be resembling its original shape and when it is going completely lose it. It illustrates the emotional condition of a person who has experienced sexual harassment. The work allows the author to face the trauma of the past.

At the same time, the stay in Lublin became an excuse for the artist to gather experiences, learn about new places and environments. The installation “Transition” tells how the residence influenced the making of important life decisions. Evghenia invites the audience to cross the symbolic border together. “I don’t know what’s on the other side of it, but I know that line is already behind me,” writes the artist.

Evghenia Gritscu – Ukrainian visual artist. Born in 1992 in Chahor (Ukraine). He lives and works in Chernivtsi. In 2010-2015 she studied painting at the National University of Arts in Bucharest. In 2014 she studied at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. Participant of collective exhibitions, including in Galeria Y (Belgrade), Sala Brynkusz (Bucharest), Galeria Noorus (Tartu), Hobusepealgallery (Tallinn), Casa Artelor (Timisoara), Gallery of the Romanian Institute of Culture (Bucharest), National Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts (Kiev), Cultural Center “Wernisaż” (Chernivtsi), the Regional Historical Museum of Varna. In her artistic practice, she experiments with photography, graphics, ceramics, performance, and installation. The most important threads in the work of Evghenia Gritscu are society and the human individual. The artist is interested in feelings and behaviorus, as well as working with emotions, the audience and the environment.

The exhibition was created as part of the Gaude Polonia Scholarship Programme of the Minister of Culture in cooperation with Galeria Labirynt.

Curator: Agata Sztorc-Gromaszek

Cooperation: Bogdan Mandzii

The term en face /ɑ̃ fas/ in art means a way of showing a person on an artwork in front of the viewer. Most often, this method is used in portraits – artistic images of people. In the past, portraits were usually painted on request in order to decorate the house, testify to the culture and wealth of their owner and the person portrayed. Over the years, this form inspired artists who created their works by experimenting not only with the subject matter itself, but also with the artistic technique. Currently, the portrait fulfills many functions, which can be seen in the works presented at the exhibition.

“ɑ̃ Fas” shows different views on portraits in the collection of Galeria Labirynt. From a classic representation through a self-portrait, caricature, photographic portrait, video, to an unusual portrait in a written form. In selected works one can find various human images – women, men, people with disabilities, the elderly, children, but also non-human representations, such as a humanoid robot.

The exhibition focuses on the portrait and its form, technique and the diversity of the artistic approach to this subject. We also use a humorous approach to the en face expression taken from the French language, which, like other foreign-language terms used in art, often makes it difficult to perceive the presented works, making the audience embarrassed. We want to play with portraits and we also invite all viewers to do so.

We invite you to discover the exhibition on your own with the help of a guidebook (Polish language only). Prepared questions will help to draw attention to the most important elements of the works and discover their stories. The answers to the questions are next to each of the works at the exhibition.

Artists: Włodzimierz Borowski, He Chengyao, Oskar Dawicki, Irena Nawrot, Jadwiga Przybylak, Karol Radziszewski, Joanna Rajkowska, Józef Robakowski, Mariusz Tarkawian, Ryszard Woźniak, Krzysztof Zarębski

Curatorial team: Krystian Kamiński, Agata Sztorc-Gromaszek

Realisation: Monika Rejman

Collaboration: Emilia Lipa, Karol Jakóbczyk, Jarosław Mitura, Jolanta Męderowicz

Branding: Krystian Kamiński