She graduated from University of Fine Arts in Poznań and Royal College of Art in London. A recipient of “Young Poland” scholarship, nominated, among others, for Views 2017 Deutsche Bank Award and 2017 Paszporty “Polityki” award. She took part in several dozen group exhibitions and was presented at many individual exhibitions in the country and abroad. Her works are in collections of Wrocław Contemporary Museum, Zachęta – Contemporary Art Gallery in Szczecin, Centre of Contemporary Art Znaki Czasu in Toruń, Museum in Gliwice, Griffin Art Space. She cooperates with BWA gallery in Warsaw. She lives and works in London and Gliwice.
“Shtamah”, 2017
video, 04’35’’
Ewa Axelrad deals with installation, photography, video, and objects. In her works she often refers to the problem of freedom, violence, and control. She is interested in process of forming individuals and social groups in the context of authority relations. “Shtamah” is a colloquial word for “friendly arrangement with someone, obliging one to mutual help”. Shtamah is nothing more than an informal agreement, the unwritten rule that leads a group. The main point of Ewa Axelrad’s work is reflection on the principle, as well as on what and when joins the group, organises people, seduces them, gives them a sense of solidarity, and at the same time disciplines them, sometimes even terrorises, deciding about the place of the individual within a given community. The artist also asks question about the quality of this community. On the one hand, Axelrad points to the problem of “community” from a universal perspective as a cultural and social phenomenon, on the other hand, she comments on the surrounding reality, social moods, and political situation. The video is part of a larger project that includes installation, object and photography.
