Dorothea von Stetten Kunstpreis 2022

98 % devout Catholics

With Poland, the Dorothea von Stetten Art Prize 2022 is dedicated to an extremely polyphonic, incredibly vital and highly reflective art scene. Against the social backdrop of a still quite rigid Catholicism (98 % of the Polish population describe themselves as devout Catholics) on the one hand and an urban neoliberalism on the other, many of the often performative and installation-based artistic designs revolve primarily around questions of identity, nationality and religion. This distinguishes today's young scene from the representatives of "critical art" of the 1990s, such as Paweł Althamer or Artur Zmijewski, as well as from the post-communist generation of painters such as Wilhelm Sasnal or Rafał Bujnowski, who placed the banalities of everyday life at the centre of their research after 2000. The selection of positions represented in the exhibition impressively reflects the breadth, intensity and critical depth with which the young generation of Polish artists approach their subject areas. Zuza Golińska (*1990), for example, questions the position of the body in the world with her suggestive sculptural arrangements, while Diana Lelonek (*1988) critically examines the idea of unlimited growth and our irresponsible use of natural resources in her proliferating installations. Finally, Daniel Rycharski (*1986) works on overcoming the antagonisms within Polish culture in his work, which is strongly characterised by actionist elements, taking a clear stance against the normative claim of heterosexual orientation.

Exhibition:
Kunstmuseum Bonn, 16/6 - 4/9/2022