Katarzyna Serkowska's exhibition speaks of water and emotions - at first glance, things that are quite distant from each other. The point of departure for the exhibition was a personal experience of loss and the search for meaning in the feeling of sadness that accompanied it.
The perception of death and the associated rituals has changed over the centuries. Not only death is a repressed, uncomfortable subject today - nowadays, human beings strive to detach themselves from anything related to pain/difficulties. Also, crying is perceived differently today. It is most often associated with weakness, the inability to control emotions. Tears are attributed to the private, feminine rather than the public, masculine sphere. We cry in solitude. From a biological point of view, crying is one of the basic functions of the body, allowing us to relieve excessive tension. The feelings of sadness, reflection, joy, pain, despair, helplessness, affection, or happiness activate neurobiopsychological processes resulting in the secretion of tears. Chemically speaking, tears are a liquid consisting mainly of water, a small amount of sodium chloride, and protein.
Katarzyna Serkowska’s Akwa Afekty is, on the one hand, a story about the search for the expression of emotions - trapped in water: tears, an expression of loss, are incorporated into the cycle of nature and open a new cycle. On the other hand, it is a story about our bond with nature, the eternal circulation within it, which is a source of strength, renewal, and inner growth. In the presented installations, the artist uses the biological medium of water, as well as water from her body (tears), and living organisms - plants. The artist has combined science with mythology, bio-art with symbolism. In her works, she seeks connections between humans and nature, giving a sense of meaning and defining the human existence.
The exhibition is held within the framework of CCA ŁAŻNIA's Incubator programme and is realised as part of the prize awarded to the artist by CCA ŁAŹNIA in the Best Diplomas of the Academy of Fine Arts 2022 competition.
Katarzyna Oliwia Serkowska - (born 1992 in Warsaw) visual artist, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She completed her master's degree with honours at the Faculty of Intermedia, in Prof. Grzegorz Klaman's Transdisciplinary Activities Studio, in 2021. Member of the UL Gallery in Gdańsk. She debuted with the publication of an original photobook titled Orphans in 2019. She participated in the exhibition BIO-PRESENCE Bits-Rhizomes-Networks - Not Everything is About Us and Others. Her work was presented at the Interphoto International Photography Festival in Bialystok in 2021 and at the Photography Festival W Ramach Sopotu (Within Sopot’s Framework) in 2022. Winner of the CCA ŁAŹNIA Award in the Best Diploma Competition 2021/2022. She works with fine art photography, post-photography, and new media (bio-art, generative art), and also creates installations. At the centre of her artistic interests is the interaction and relationship with nature.
Collaboration: Grzegorz Cech and Wojciech Pokora, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk
Patronage: Prestige Magazine
LAZNIA 1
Exhibition opening hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday-Friday: 2 PM to 8 PM
Saturday-Sunday: Noon to 8 PM
Opening day: free admission
Exhibition ticket: 1 PLN