On Friday, April 14th from 7pm, OKNA opens the exhibition BREAK by artists-in-residence, Olga Wardęga & Wera Grześ.
BREAK invites visitors to embrace the unknown, acknowledge the present moment and discover new possibilities by taking a break, talking, and creating something together.
The title "Przerwa" in Polish means a break or a gap. It can be a break at work or school or time off during a game. It can be a gap in the sidewalk and we can also say that we are doing something or something is happening "bez przerwy” (with no break), that is, constantly, incessantly - it can be raining constantly, for example, or we are working incessantly. At work, we can take a break (mieć przerwę) or go out on a break (wyjść na przerwę). It can be, as well, a coffee break.
Two artists, Olga and Wera, shared coffee breaks and accompanied their creation process. These breaks are sometimes a moment to take a breath while working and sometimes a need to stay together and exchange insights. So, the starting point of the artistic process is sketch notes created together during these coffee breaks. It is a shared ritual of sitting in a nearby café and sketching mutual portraits.
Artists transferred sketches to large-format fabrics using batik techniques. And this is where the fun of creating together begins. In the process, the authors share their experiences and knowledge. They respond to mutual reactions, and paint gestures. If the painting is understood, following Marlene Dumas, as primarily a physical experience - a rhythm of individual gestures and processuality - then it is a mutual tuning into one joint rhythm and a search for a painterly language. And coming back to “Przerwa” understood as "a gap" - the space between - it is something that divides, but also unites because the area between the two painters' expressions is shared.
Break encourages visitors to embrace the present moment, explore new possibilities, and connect by creating together. Olga and Wera are known for sharing their coffee breaks, which becomes the impulse for their creative process. They make sketchy notes and transfer them to large textiles using batik techniques. From a series of sketches based on mutual reactions, painting gestures, and new techniques, the exhibition serves as a collaborative arrangement inspired by the simple act of taking a break - together. Through this shared process, they find a mutual rhythm and painterly language that unites them.
19:00 opening of the exhibition Poetry reading by Wera Grześ and Samuel Marti 20:00 Live Sound performance by Christoph Zeckel
