Critical Juncture: Indo-Polish Exhibition

Artists:  Sanchayan Ghosh, Tushar Joag, Magda Fabianczyk, Gopakumar R, Joanna Rajkowska, Alicja Rogalska, Sharmila Samant, Dinesh Shenoy, Cop Shiva, Łukasz Surowiec, Julita Wójcik, Artur Żmijewski

Concept Note: Critical Juncture brings together a collection of artistic responses to contemporary political and social issues in the state of Kerala, India and Poland – two geographically remote territories that both have been influenced by different notions and practices of communism.  As a starting point for the project, the curators adopted the term ‘critical juncture’, which is used in political and social sciences to describe a point of liquidity or a short phase during which it is possible to change the course of events. The participating artists investigate socio-political changes that have been happening in Poland and India, exploring, amongst others, issues of in/visibility, the importance of utopian thinking, forms of social self-organisation and mechanisms of exclusion.

The exhibition will take place inside a former spice warehouse located in the historical Jew Street in Mattancherry, which forms part of today’s Kochi, as well as public spaces around town. Historically, while Fort Kochi used to be a fortified European settlement, Mattancherry was the trading hub for other foreign settlers, such as Jews, Arabs, and Armenians as well as for merchant communities from India, such as Gujaratis and Jains.

Along with creating a space for critical thinking and exchange, Critical Juncture’s genuine engagement with the local community of Kochi proposes a model of exhibition, where artists work with residents and support local workers and workers’ unions. The invited artists represent different generations, levels of recognition and social backgrounds and include both internationally and locally acclaimed artists.

The project is partly artist-led, which sets a base for a collaborative approach and provides an alternative to the established hierarchies of the art world. An integral part of the project is the residency for the invited artists, creating an immersive environment to engage with the local community and either to produce new work or conduct in-depth research for future projects. The programme of the residency, from common accommodation and meals to research trips and university hosted seminars and workshops enables both informal and structured interaction between the artists from the two countries, setting up the possibility of future collaborations.