MIROSLAW BALKA. FRAGMENT. VIDEO SPACES 1998-2010. NCCA AND WINZAVOD, MOSCOW

Special guest of the 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art
Curators: Marek Gozdziewski (Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle), Natalya Goncharova (NCCA) Organizers: National Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA)/Russia/Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle/Poland Co-organizers: Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art, Adam Mickiewicz Institute* Partners: 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Polish Cultural Center, New Art Foundation

Venues: NCCA, Exhibition Hall (Zoologicheskaya St. 13, bld. 2) WINZAVOD Centre for contemporary art (4th Syromyatnickesky Lane, 1, bld. 6, entrance 21)

Guided tours of the exhibition: NCCA - Thursdays from 17 October, 19.00. For free WINZAVOD - Wednesdays from 23 October, 19.00. At a cost of entrance ticket

The National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) and Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle for the first time in Russia present the solo exhibition of world famous Polish artist Miroslaw Balka, FRAGMENT, which will be held at two venues in Moscow - in the NCCA and WINZAVOD Centre for Contemporary Art. The project includes video spaces created by the artist in 1998 – 2010. The artist will be a special guest of the 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art.

Miroslaw Balka was born in Warsam in 1958 and graduated from the sculpture department of Warsaw's Academy of Fine Arts in 1985. He has represented Poland at many international exhibitions, including Venice Biennale (1990, 1995, 2013 etc.), Documenta in Kassel, the Sao Paolo Biennale (1998) and others. Miroslaw Balka's works are owned by museums worldwide.

The project premiered in 2011 at the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw; a year later it was exhibited at the Art Academy in Berlin; finally, in 2013, it will be presented at the National Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA) and at Winzavod CCA in Moscow. Thus, NCCA will display the final part of the geopolitical triptych – Poland-Germany-Russia – containing various shades and contexts.

FRAGMENT is dedicated to the relationship between private and historical memories. The project was originally conceived for implementation in Poland, Germany, and Russia – countries that participated in one of the most dramatic events of the 20th century: WWII. Even the title was chosen for a reason – the word “fragment” doesn’t require a translation in all three countries.

FRAGMENT is, in a way, an attempt to resist the turning of live history into a monument void of real feeling. For Miroslaw Balka, the term “past” doesn’t exist; he breaks conventional coordinates, attempting to steal important fragments from the past and make them live in the present.

Miroslaw Balka. Winterreise.Bambi. 2003. Video projection

It’s important to keep in mind that Miroslaw Balka is a sculptor and an amateur pocket camera allows him, in his own words, to “record and document,” “become a direct witness of certain situations.” This exhibition opens the doors to the artist’s video lab, giving an opportunity to understand and feel the specifics of his work.

Miroslaw Balka. Apple T. 20092010. Video projection. 272x204

FRAGMENT includes video works spanning 12 years, starting with Balka’s first video that he made in 1998 and ending with his works from 2010. The exhibition includes both famous video works that have already become classics of contemporary art, such as Winterreise (2003), Bambi u Pond, BlueGasEyes (2004) as well as less well-known works: Bottom (1999/2003), Flagellare A,B,C (2009) and apple T. (2009/2010) and others.

The exhibition includes a total of 21 video works and 1 sound object.