Zachęta – National Gallery of Art

artists: Andrzej Dudek-Dürer, Eugeniusz Get-Stankiewicz, Krystyna Jachniewicz, Grzegorz Marszałek, Janusz Przybylski, Alina Szapocznikow, Andrzej Tryzno, Monika Zawadzki, Mira Żelechower-Aleksiun
curator: Michał Jachuła
collaboration: Maria Świerżewska
exhibition production: Anna Muszyńska, Dariusz Bochenek, Remigiusz Olszewski

Living Storages: Self-portrait. Folder (pdf)

There is a large group of works identified as self-portraits in Zachęta’s collection, as well as works directing our attention to such a meaning. The former is evidenced by the titles and the similarity of the images to their authors. The self-portrait nature of the latter group is indicated by factors related to issues of identity, interests and artistic practices of the artists, reflected in their paintings, sculptures or works on paper.

The theme of the self-portrait has a long tradition in art, and its carrying power means that it is taken up by all generations of visual artists. Self-portraits are an expression of the artists’ subjective perception of reality in the relation of ‘me and society’; therefore, their meaning goes far beyond the gesture of presenting oneself to the world. In their own images, artists also record their internal states of spirit, mind and body, comparable more broadly with the human condition. That is why self-portraits can also be considered in a universal sense — they are a type of mirror in which viewers can find their own experiences. 

The impulse to take on a self-portrait as an internal ‘commission’ is the consequence of being with oneself all the time, from cradle to the grave. Taking up one’s own self as an artistic subject results both from the ‘comfort’ of the availability of the subject of the painting and from the effort of ‘struggling with oneself’, not only in time, but also in space. Representing one’s self is just as complicated as immortalising someone else. Before it can be shown to the world, the self-portrait must satisfy both the portraitist and the portrayed — the artist. In such works, there is certainly no room for compromise, as shown by both ancient and contemporary art — artists as the authors and protagonists of their own art are very important to themselves, which is why they accept this challenge with full awareness.

The selection of works at the current show includes graphics by Andrzej Dudek-Dürer, Eugeniusz Get-Stankiewicz and Grzegorz Marszałek, paintings by Krystyna Jachniewicz, Janusz Przybylski, Andrzej Tryzno and Mira Żelechower-Aleksiun, as well as sculptures by Alina Szapocznikow and Monika Zawadzki. They come from different moments of the creation of the Zachęta collection and represent a broad spectrum of artistic attitudes, showing the diversity of the collection resulting from the transformations in Polish art from the 1960s to the present day, as well as the history of the institution which has been consistently building its own collection. The show organised in the Mały Salon is part of the Living Storages series, which is related to the revitalisation of Zachęta’s art storages and the transfer of the collection to a temporary space in the exhibition rooms. The series provided an opportunity to present excerpts of the collection in successive shows.