Contemporary Identities

June-October 2004 Strasbourg
January 2005 Thessaloniki (GR)
March 2005 Szczecin (PL)

Pawel ZAK A Close Acquintance, 2004

Contemporary identities:

Anna, Maria, Magdalena. Exhibition.
Pieces of identity. Exhibition.
Spaces of intimacy / Projected Visions – Poland. Video art.
Contemporary identities – Current artistic creation in Poland. Publication.


In accordance with its stated objective of aiding cooperation and artistic exchanges in Europe, in particular in the counties of central and eastern Europe, Apollonia has organised a vaste operation devoted to contemporary creation in Poland.

The central theme which dominates so many Polish artistic approaches, that of identity, is looked at here directly, by exploring the issues of the body or the portrait, or more indirectly, by means of work looking at habitats, social space or everyday consumer objects. Poland’s identity, which has its roots in the recent memory and history of the country, is currently undergoing extraordinary changes, as (re)joining the European Community creeps nearer.

The implementation of these projects was based on the information gathered over the course of numerous prospective visits carried out by apollonia in Poland, and thanks to the permanent contacts the association has with the Polish art scene.

In addition, these events were the result of a highly profitable collaboration between a number of art critics, curators and theoreticians, and in particular thanks to the contributions of Ryszard W. Kluszczynski, Anne Laval and especially Magdalena Lewoc, who played an essential role and spared no effort to ensure that these events could take place as planned, and in the best possible conditions.

As part of Nowa Polska, Polish cultural season in France