Marta DESKUR

In the years 1983-1988 Marta Deskur studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, in Aix-en-Provence, France. She took par in a number of artists residency programs based in Riga, Berlin and New York. Since the early 1990s her works have been extensively presented in the leading contemporary art galleries in Poland, but also in France, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, South Korea and the United States. Her works belong to the leading Polish art collections including: Ujazdowski Castle Contemporary Art Center, Warsaw; Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw; National Museum, Warsaw; Art Museum, Lódz; Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Center in Cracow.

Within the “Anne, Marie, Madeleine” show Deskur presents one of her latest projects (Virgins, 7 lightboxes, 2002). In her Virgins series Marta Deskur creates the impossible situation and evokes strong contradictions: the title promises virgins, but the woman we see in photographs are pregnant, moreover all of them have the face of the artist, which the viewer realizes after more careful examination of the work.  The viewer is struck by the paradox of incompatibility between image and knowledge. The experience of this paradox is automatic and not disturbed by the fact that he/she is aware of variety of tricks that enable unlimited manipulation of the photograph.
Virgins reveal a rudimentary network of interpretational references, including mythological, religious, cultural and esthetical tropes.