BOOK:Common Affairs, Cantz Publications

Since 2003, the Views prize for young Polish art has been awarded in the Zacheta Gallery. The award is accompanied by an exhibition, which helps to garner more international attention for the Contemporary Polish art scene. From 21/7-30/10/16, the Deutsche Bank KunstHalle, and the Polish Institute in Berlin are presenting new Polish art in the exhibition “Common Affairs”

By Efi Michalarou

The exhibition “Common Affairs” presents a selection of current positions by artists who have won or were nominated for the Views Award in the past 15 years. The retrospective, which takes place in Berlin and the accompanying catalog, intend to update the artistic practices of recent history. The curators of the show together with the participating artists, explore the freedoms, discourse, and exchange afforded by public and private sponsorship, and how art is used as an ideological instrument as a result. While this updating process accentuates the interesting phenomena and urgent problems that the artists have engaged with, it simultaneously examines the shifts and changes in the cultural landscape of Poland and abroad. Particular focus is placed on positions that address the history and politics of memory and representation, transformation and imminent transition.