"Pawel Althamer: Winner of The Vincent 2004"
2005-02-24 until 2005-03-28
Zacheta Gallery of Art
Warsaw, , PL Poland

The solo exhibition of Pawel Althamer (Warsaw, 1967), which was received with great enthusiasm by both national and international press and public, is moving on from Maastricht to Warsaw. The exhibition, organised for the occasion of ‘The Vincent 2004’, was on display until 17 January 2005 in the Bonnefantenmuseum. From 24 February, Althamer’s sculptures, video installations and performances can be seen in Zacheta Gallery of Art, Warsaw, the leading museum of contemporary art in Poland.

Last year, Althamer was declared winner of the third edition of ‘The Vincent Award’. ‘The Vincent’ is a biannual prize awarded to a European artist between 35 and 45 years of age, whose work has a demonstrable influence on current developments in contemporary art. The jury thought that Althamer was the best candidate because his art work comprises both traditional sculpture and radical performance and he manages to bring these two very divergent disciplines together in a significant and intriguing synthesis. The main theme running through Althamer’s oeuvre is alienation; the far-reaching isolation of the individual in contemporary society.

A major part of the exhibition is formed by Althamer’s eight-part video installation “So genannte Wellen und andere Phänomene des Geistes” (2003 - 2004), which has now been acquired by the Bonnefantenmuseum for its collection.

Zacheta is happy to make this presentation – according to the Vincent Award jury verdict: "showing the artists as a traditional sculptor and radical performance artist, who manages to bring these two divergent disciplines together" available to the Polish public. The show comprises all Althamer's most important figural sculptures to date, set against eight new films - made in cooperation with Artur ?mijewski under the common title So-called Waves and Other Phenomena of the Mind. The films are something like spiritual road movies, a record of experiments exploring the possibilities of expanding the limits of consciousness. They also serve as a commentary on the artist's position globally.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Poland

Other Important Exhibitions in Poland