Katarzyna Górna “The memory of the land”

In widely known understanding, the Neolithic Venus is considered an ancient symbol of fertility. One of the earliest examples of male gaze. For many years [in her work] Katarzyna Górna questioned social clichés and images of women, especially in connection with successive periods of life and the stereotypical roles associated with them. At times, she herself filled in the role of them in her photographs, reflecting the male gaze. Now her early works look at her as she takes a different place in this triptych. At the same time, she offers not only a critical commentary, but also an affirmative way out of this confrontation.

opening: 5.07.2025 (Saturday), 18.00
where: Galeria Labirynt, ul. ks. J. Popiełuszki 5, Lublin
language: event in Polish; translation into English: Agata Oborska; no translation into PJM; no translation into Ukrainian
exhibition on view until: 17.08.2025 (Tues.-Sun, 12.00-19.00)
admission: 8 PLN normal ticket, 4 PLN concessionary ticket (free entry to the vernissage)

curator: Antoni Burzyński

The exhibition includes works with nudity.

According to some of the hypotheses that inspire the artist, Stone Age statues of women bore witness not to their reproductive role, but to the high social position they acquired with age. It was linked to their special role later in life – depositories of community knowledge, organizers of collective empathy, caregivers.

The menopausal period, which is an important reference point for her new projects, the artist sees as liberating and productive. Offering a new perspective on age and its significance in society, Upper turns to the logic of coexistence. Her new works make as much reference to cultural symbols as they do to new insights from researchers into the relationship between the natural world and man, which is being rediscovered and redefined today. This special, forgotten value that older women brought to the ancient community was the memory of the land.

Katarzyna Górna
A Polish contemporary artist and one of the leading figures of critical art, which emerged in the 1990s. She is a graduate of Grzegorz Kowalski’s studio. Her practice includes photography, installation, and video. Katarzyna Górna’s work is rooted in a female perspective on social reality and the symbolic representations of women in culture, as noted by Karol Sienkiewicz. Her gaze moves across a spectrum between criticality and tenderness. Nature and ecological themes also play a significant role in her art. In recent years, she has been focusing on sculpture and video works. She has participated in exhibitions at institutions such as Biennale Warszawa, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, PGS in Sopot, CSW Zamek Ujazdowski, Bunkier Sztuki, MOCAK, the National Museum in Warsaw, the Prague Biennale, and NBK in Berlin.

Katarzyna Górna has also been deeply involved for many years in activist efforts supporting artists.

The exhibition is part of the project “Simple Questions – Difficult Answers.”
Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.