The Ego & The Own

Ausstellung: 14. Dezember – 22. Dezember 2012

The Faktoria Artystyczna Foundation will present a selection of works from the polish artists: Iwona Liegmann, Adam Kalinowski and Adam Garnek from the 15^th - 22^th December 2011 at Freies Museum Berlin. Faktoria Artystyczna is focused on presenting and promoting established polish artists who's work is unburdened by the restrictive rules of national museums or commitments required by commercial galleries.

The title 'the Ego & the Own' referrs to the main work of Max Stirner, the 19^th C. german philosopher and one of the literary fathers of nihilism, existentialism, post-modernism and individualist anarchism. In 'Der Einzige und sein Eigenthum' (engl. trans. 'The Ego and Its Own'), which appeared in Leipzig in October 1844, he launches a radical anti-authoritarian and individualist critique of modern western society as such. Stirner once proposed also the unification of Germany and Poland.

Iwona Liegmanns work moves on the thin line between kitsch and high art. In a playful and ironic way, she creates inspiring, obviously beautiful, art works which however reveal universal problems such as cruelty to animals, interpersonal relationships and one's own perception in current societies.

Adam Kalinowski is fascinated by both nature and models of life developed over time from human existence, artistic standards or cliche's and stereotypes. For him, art is a liberation from modern life, it is a sign that calls for an intense perception of the environment that has existed a long time before us and will still be present after us.

Adam Garnek completes the discourse by Liegmann and Kalinowski by a multimedia project focussing on the physical circumstances of our world. His machines often remind us of vehicles, carts or mobile phones. Thus, they represent a metaphor of the human pursuit of symbiotic relationship with technology. By converting from a analog mechanism to digital technologies, he looks at our historic fascination for progress as well as the implied loss of humanity.

Jurek Truszkowski a.k.a Max Hexer is a great example of politically engaged contemporary art in Poland. His provocative work is well known for its standpoint against hegemonic moral values, i.e. religion or capitalism. In this exhibition he presents a variation of his series of banknotes (2001) with the image of Max Stirner.