02 Sep 2013

Victory Obsessed at 'Zamek' Culture Center, Poznań, poland

Victory Obsessed
Contemporary art exhibition

Curated by Agata Rogoś

ARTISTS:
Kuba Bąkowski/Jane Calovski/Lana Čmajčanin/Nemanja Cvijanović/Dani Gal/Douglas Gordon & Philippe Parreno/Assaf Gruber/Igor Grubić/Filip Jovanovski/Adela Jusić/Christine Laquet/Dominik Lejman/Alban Muja/Ahmet Öğüt/Obsessive Possessive Aggression (OPA)/Nikola Uzunovski/Sislej Xhafa/ Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi

The spectacle is without a doubt more powerful than before, but how does it use the extra power? What new areas mastered? In a word, which way to proceed at the moment of its operating lines? Is now a widespread feeling that there is a rapid invasion, forcing people to abandon their former way of life, a feeling, however, is extremely vague, and the same phenomenon is regarded as a sort of inexplicable problems of climate or other natural balance, so for a change, which exposes the fragility of human knowledge, and condemns the ignorant for helpless silence.
(Guy Debord, Society of spectacle)

The main idea of this show is to explore the notion of the sport as the public and politicized ritual of the masses and theatralized scene of the public space. The sport will be used as a kind of metaphor for unveiling the hidden power and social systems.
The exhibition is unleashing the philosophy of victory. Obsession of victory or being successful at least is crucial part of public sphere and ritualizing of spectacle. The deepest layer of striving to power and victory might be referred to dreams of excellence. Experiencing of exultation of victory is lasting just like an eye twinkle and is spreading away immediately after a second. The aim of this particular project is making impossible possible - to analyze this very special and imponderable moment. The production of happiness and all-embracing joy in the public space is mostly visible in the public rituals and spectacles of the body and sports. Sport is as a matter of fact an attempt to extend the feeling of happiness forever.
The exhibition will be focused on the issue of sport (taken as a philosophy and the way of expressing ideology), struggle and rivalry and also as a very important component of those issues – failure. In this structure: STRUGGLE, RIVALRY and FAILURE will become a trap creating ritualized spectacles of the public sphere. We are all part of this spectacle in it is very difficult to exclude oneself from the rituals. Social system imposes individual some forms of behavior and makes us the actors of one spectacle where it is equally important to be a part performative act of struggle and rivalry and short moment either of victory or of failure.
Is it possible to get out of these firm frames of ritualized spectacle? What can be discovered on the other side?


'Zamek' Culture Center

'Zamek' Culture Centre in Poznań is one of the largest institutions of its kind in Poland. Each year, over 200 thousand people take part in several hundred different cultural events: exhibitions, concerts, film shows, theatrical performances, meetings, or educational workshops.

'Zamek' Culture Centre is located in the last European imperial residence built for a ruling monarch. The interiors of this almost one-hundred-year old building – rooms, hallways and yards – provide space for varied projects. The 'Zamek' is at the same time a gallery, a cinema, a concert hall, and a theatre house. There is, however, a certain methodology behind this variety: the 'Zamek' specializes in interdisciplinary events which employ almost all spaces for exhibitions, concerts, film reviews and meetings. These are presentations of particular artistsb' work: 'Dali na Zamku' [Dali at the Castle], or other nations' cultures: 'Dania na Zamku' [Denmark at the Castle], 'Brit Fest', 'Dekada Kultury Belgii Francuskojezycznej' [A Decade of Francophone Belgian Culture].
Every other year we organize 'Poznan Poetow' [Poet's Poznan] Festival, every two year we are a guest place for Mediations Biennale, every three years – International Sculpture Triennial.
The 'Zamek' also prepares outdoor events: St Martin Day celebrations to promote the street bearing his name, St. John's Fair, municipal New Year's celebrations, as well as the Poznań regional finale of Wielka Orkiestra Swiątecznej Pomocy [Great Festival Aid Orchestra] action. With our programme intended for a wide variety of audiences, we collaborate with numerous local, national and international cultural centres and organizations.

For more information please see our web page: www.zamek.poznan.pl