— too bold, too big, to far: Unrealized artworks become visible. Artists from all over connect.
While mobility is restricted, borders and distances are clearly perceptible and existential uncertainties
are omnipresent, more artistic works than ever remain in the state of planning. Whether it fails due to
lack of time, space or money or accompanies your artistic work for years as bold dream — we are looking
for your projects, which have not (yet) made it beyond their state as an idea, concept, draft or prototype.
With this exhibition we want to open up a space and visibility in terms of concepts, sketches, drafts, plans
and photographs. These papers will be presented at the art space BLECH. in Halle, Germany.
At the same time, despite current challenges and immobility, this format allows to present
and bring international artists together. Since many things cannot take place on location and in person,
there will be an online programm additional to the exhibtion. For an exchange and encounters, the
participating artists and their work will be presented and discussed on a digital platform.
— too bold, too big, to far: Unrealized artworks become visible. Artists from all over connect.
While mobility is restricted, borders and distances are clearly perceptible and existential uncertainties
are omnipresent, more artistic works than ever remain in the state of planning. Whether it fails due to
lack of time, space or money or accompanies your artistic work for years as bold dream — we are looking
for your projects, which have not (yet) made it beyond their state as an idea, concept, draft or prototype.
With this exhibition we want to open up a space and visibility in terms of concepts, sketches, drafts, plans
and photographs. These papers will be presented at the art space BLECH. in Halle, Germany.
At the same time, despite current challenges and immobility, this format allows to present
and bring international artists together. Since many things cannot take place on location and in person,
there will be an online programm additional to the exhibtion. For an exchange and encounters, the
participating artists and their work will be presented and discussed on a digital platform.
Natalka Dovha + MichaL Szwejkowski
ABOUT
Natalka Dovha – born in Ukraine in 1981, for the last 6 years lives and works in Poland. Graduated from Kyiv International University, journalism department (2004); Interschool directing course (2007); Academy of Photography in Warsaw (2017).
She had Solo Shows in Warsaw, Poland (2017), Gdansk (2017), Kyiv, Ukraine (2018), Kiev, Ukraine (2015/13) and Gruop Shows in Warsaw, Poland (2019), Lublin, Poland (2018), Warsaw, Poland (2016), Lódz, Poland (2016), Krakow, Poland (2016), Minsk, Belarus (2016), Poznan, Poland (2016), Krakow, Poland (2015), Odessa (2015) and Berlin, Germany (2014).
Michał Szwejkowski - born 1974, mostly self-learned and after-hours photographer. Completed Warsaw Academy of Photography 2016. He had Group Shows in Warsaw, Poland (2019), Lublin, Poland (2018), Lódz, Poland (2016) and Warsaw Poland (2015). He published his works in the collective books 'Unfinished connections', zine, Poland (2017) and 'Interrupted rhythms', zine, Poland (2016).
STATEMENTs
Natalka Dovha - An independent art unit. Photographer, journalist, curator, textile artist. Uses the camera as an instrument for doing her own research. Works with different media: mixed photography, text, objects, video and sound installations. Her fields of interest are memory, family history and rituals.
Michał Szwejkowski - An airplane avionics programer on a daily basis, an emotion photographer after hours. He has been photographing since childhood and one moment the camera - usually the analog one - became an inseparable companion. In photography he is interested in what's under the skin - be it street or person. How to photograph the invisible, the emotions? How to tell it to the people who will look at the photo? These are questions that drive him to photograph more and more.
We asked ...
What role do unrealized projects play in your artistic practice?
First - they are kind of incubators. I lay some eggs here and there. I wait some time. I pour some thoughts over them. Sometimes something will hatch out of it, most of the time not. This teaches me how to deeply feel what I want to say instead of driving the process with the thinking.
How do you record your ideas for new works and projects?
I collect objects. Leaves, shapes, intriguing or broken mechanisms. They are fertile with potential.
I do notes on the bus tickets, chocolate covers, palms, in the minds of close friends and grant applications.
What makes unrealized proejcts and works special to you?
They stay perfect forever ;)
How does an idea become art?
When it becomes an object that speaks the language I teach it.
What does failure mean for your artistic work?
Another lesson about me, about the world I live in. Another creature that appears to be my child. I have to deal with some contradictory feelings - admit that the creature has not the prettiest nose and it doesn’t smell well, but it came out of my head. So it’s a kind of mirror where I look into and know myself better.
What do the terms 'possible' and 'impossible' mean in the context of your artistic practice?
“Possible” is a territory of braveness and belief in an idea, while “impossible” is a territory of fear and doubts. It’s like liberty and jail you are free to choose between.
added by the artists ...
What's the meaning of life, universe and everything?
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Unless otherwise indicated, all rights for all texts and photos are reserved by the artist/author/photographer.