Artists showcased in TRAPS: dr Katarzyna Szarek, dr Stanisław Gajewski, dr Katarzyna Fober, dr Kacper Bożek and prof. Maciej Aleksandrowicz, alongside the moderator, dr hab. Dariusz Juruś, Professor of Jagiellonian University, will discuss the issues that inspired this exhibition.

"A man is either h i m s e l f or s o m e o n e else. We put on masks, become poseurs, we appropriate, purloin, exploit and we score triumphs with falsehoods or, by following our calling, we reap the fruits of our talents.  By not picking up the fight, we become snared into not accomplishing our dreams and aspirations, and therefore, we ourselves set up traps into which we will eventually fall.

In the age of Internet platforms man discovered how anonymity and facelessness can be used to brandish the sword of overfamiliarity, throw illegal punches, cultivate stupidity and narcissism. These days arrogance has become the ordinary weapon of choice. Behind hate there hides a n o b o d y. He is like an unnamed poacher, wily coward, who sets up traps in the forest. Vampires are born from falseness. They hide behind modernity, pseudo-kindness, and false caring about humankind’s personal growth.

We are standing on the edge of a trapping pit. Greed propels us forward. Time, power, money and politics create fear, which in effect paralyzes goodness. Outside the window, rain washes down the dust of illusory progress – assisting its oppressor. Ubiquitous concrete and soil cannot communicate with each other through the fault of man. Snares hide in our streets – it is us who set them up; they are commonplace." 


dr Katarzyna Szarek, guest curator; from her curatorial statement in the TRAPS exhibition catalogue