M HKA Ensembles

Book, 21 x 14,8 cm, 419 p., language : Polish, publisher : Korporacja Ha!art, Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow, ISBN : 978-83-86905-78-2.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. B 2025/567).

Literary synopsis

In 1970s in Poland, three (a little drunk) artists got quite brutally beaten by three (probably also slightly drunk) militiamen. The case was proceeded to the prosecutor. The beaten artists made a deal among each other, that they will always tell the truth and only the truth. The prosecutor questioned the whole six, at first everyone separately, and later on in pairs – artist/militiaman. He quickly realised that the fault was on the militiamen’s side. However the case was discontinued as he had to redeem it due to the inconsequence in the testimonies of the artists. It turned out that each artist remembered the situation differently, proving that the memory is not a tape recorder. Therefore it seems that the more appropriate strategy would be, before telling the truth and only the truth, to tentatively conform and agree on how it was it was for real.

Relation of the novel to the artist’s practice

Although the novel does not relate directly to any particular art project, the way it is written however reflects artist’s practice as a photographer. It consists of different pieces, shutters and in a way reminds us of a collage. The way the novel is constructed reflects the idea that the world is built in a manner similar to photography – it is maintained only there, where the memory is able to shot a clear picture.

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