WALKING WOUNDED
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, KRAKOW
OCT 26, 2018 – MAR 24, 2019

FROM 26TH OCTOBER 2018 TO 24TH MARCH 2019, KRAKOW’S MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART IS SHOWCASING AN EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO MARKUS MUNTEAN AND ADI ROSENBLUM. AT THE HEART OF THE EXHIBITION, TITLED WALKING WOUNDED, ARE THEIR PAINTINGS THAT BLEND SCENES FROM YOUTUBE VIDEOS WITH LITERARY QUOTES FROM POETS SUCH AS RILKE AND ELIOT. THIS MIX CHALLENGES VISITORS TO CONSIDER THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN DAY-TO-DAY EXPERIENCES AND THE NUANCED WORLD OF LITERATURE, ILLUMINATING THE TIES BETWEEN POPULAR CULTURE AND TRADITIONAL ARTS.

AMIDST MOCAK’S CONTEMPORARY SPACE, MUNTEAN AND ROSENBLUM’S PERFORMATIVE PIECES SEAMLESSLY FIT IN. ACTORS, ADORNED WITH SYMBOLIC WOUNDS, MOVE AMONGST THE ARTWORKS, AMPLIFYING THE DUO’S EXPLORATION OF SOCIETAL AND EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES. THIS INTEGRATION OF LIVE PERFORMANCES WITH STATIC ART FORMS OFFERS VISITORS A COMPREHENSIVE INSIGHT INTO THEIR ARTISTIC VISION.

CURATED BY MONIKA KOZIOL

IMAGES IN SITU © MOCAK – RAFAL SOSIN

IMAFOLDED NOTES CONTAINING FRAGMENTS OF TEXTS FROM THE ARTISTS’ ARCHIVES OF CITATIONS SCRIBBLED ON PIECES OF PAPER WERE INSERTED INTO THE CRACKS IN ONE OF THE CONCRETE WALLS IN MOCAK. DURING THE OPENING PERFORMERS, WITH LACERATIONS PAINTED ON THEIR SKIN, HANDED THEM OUT TO MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE. IF THE VIEWERS WANTED TO READ THE SCRIBBLES, THEY COULD ALSO THEMSELVES REMOVE THEM FROM THE CRACKS.

TODAY, THE INTERNET IS WHERE ‘TOTAL RECEPTION’ HAPPENS. IT IS THERE THAT MUNTEAN/ROSENBLUM HAVE CHOSEN TO FIND THEIR OWN EXHIBITION SPACE. THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN REPRODUCING PAINTINGS BUT IN CREATING THE FORMULA OF ART IN VIRTUAL REALITY. THEY ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP COLLABORATION WITH SIX YOUTUBERS, EACH OF WHOM HAS AGREED TO APPEAR IN THEIR OWN RESPECTIVE FILMS WITH PAINTED WOUNDS OR CUTS. THE ARTISTS AIMED TO CONFRONT THE ORDINARY SITUATION WITH A DRAMATIC MARKER SO AS TO CREATE AN EXTRA LAYER TO THE REALITY. THIS IS ALSO THE STRATEGY THAT MUNTEAN/ROSENBLUM EMPLOY IN PAINTING.