World-renowned Polish Artist Joanna Concejo's Work on Display at ENM
Friday, 24. may 2024
From May 17 to June 16, the interactive exhibition "You have to find your place, sit down, and wait..." at ENM will feature the works of famed Polish illustrator and artist Joanna Concejo, each with her own distinct distinctive style.
Joanna Concejo can be called a visionary - in the universe she created, reality intertwines with memories and dreams. She frequently relates stories from a child's perspective, allowing her to transcend the logic of adult life.Concejo describes her work process: "Illustrating does not mean simply drawing what is written. I have to desacralize the text in order to make my own story from it, because that is all I have. If I draw something important to me, there is a good chance that someone will notice it. The writer's words and my tale together reveal a new value."
The exhibition of the Polish artist was brought to the Estonian National Museum as part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 year. According to ENM director Kertu Saks, close collaboration with several international partners has been carried out due to special occasion.
"We have been able to showcase what is unique about Estonia, particularly Tartu, while also hosting art and culture from other nations here. The opening of the exhibition of world-famous Polish artist and book illustrator Joanna Concejo leads us to the year 2025 in our thoughts, which will be dedicated to books, as we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the printing of the first Estonian text," said Saks.
The interactive exhibit makes the illustrations come to life. Among other things, you can see them in a multimedia window, change their shape on the wall, make your own versions, and process them with artificial intelligence.
International recognition demonstrates the universality of Concejo's works. Her illustrated books have been published in over twenty countries worldwide. On 7 May, the book "The Lost Soul" by Olga Tokarczuk and Joanna Concejo was presented at the Prima Vista literary festival. The Estonian-language edition, brought to readers by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and ENM, celebrates Tartu's designation as a UNESCO City of Literature and European Capital of Culture in 2024. The book is on sale in the ENM store.
The exhibition will remain open until 16 June, admission is free. Curator: Adrian Chorębała Design: Natalia Jakóbiec / Wzorro Design Production: Academy of Fine Arts, Rondo Sztuki Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice, Adam Mickiewicz Institute Thank you: Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Estonia, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Republic of Poland, Slawomira Borowska-Peterson, Dorota Szczepanek, Magda Peterson