Akademia Ruchu. City. The Field of Action.

Óself-presentation:
ÓAkademia Ruchu. City. The Field of Action.
Curator: Wojciech Krukowski
Academic committee:
Anda Rottenberg, Ryszard W. Kluszczyński, Łukasz Ronduda
Gallery 1
18.02 – 29.04.2012
Exhibition opening: Friday 17 February, 6 p.m.
The self-presentation: Akademia Ruchu. City. The Field of Action. Exhibition presents films and
photographs documenting the work of Akademia Ruchu over the course of 1975-2011.
Akadermia Ruchu (The Academy of Motion) is a unique example of a creative group that
implemented a regular program of anonymous and defiant art interventions. The activities evaded censorship
and were conducted in various areas (including Warsaw, Ciechanów, Poznań, Łódź, Oleśnica, Ostróda, and
Świnoujście), often in multi-day cycles, with over a hundred actions during that period in Poland. Since the
late 1970s, these practices have been augmented with initiatives involving viewers, even to the point of
making them co-creators, and constitute examples of innovations to renew community ties, efforts to shape
daily reality as well as original forms of social expression.
Akademia Ruchu continued its work in the shifting 1990s to the present day, to create a collection of
200 projects implemented as part of about 600 appearances in Poland and abroad.
As opposed to contemporary expressions, which are usually designed for the camera, the first
viewers and participants of Akademia Ruchu shows were passersby, mass transit passengers and residents of
nearby flats. A hidden camera or a discreet photographer were usually not a part of the Akademia Ruchu
social message construct.
At the same time, Akademia Ruchu implemented a program of visual theater by presenting its shows
and performances within the alternative theater community, as well as in art museums and galleries in
Europe, North and South America, as well as Japan. This meant that, for a long time, the majority of
commentary and criticisms of the Academia Ruchu work concerned only its public appearances.
The exhibition will be on view at CCA 18.02-29.04.2012.
Seventy percent of the visual materials are anonymous recordings shot with a 16mm camera of
guerrilla style "hit and run" urban actions implemented by Akademia Ruchu in the 1970s and 80s. For
exhibition purposes, these materials have been transferred to modern video media, while maintaining certain
qualities of archive materials. Over 200 historic photographs, which have not been cleaned up or doctored,
constitute an important part of the exhibition.
Specific motifs of the performances include dual language, large-format commentary.
Akademia Ruchu performances will take place during the exhibition at the Laboratory at CCA and
will include original spectacles by its members, as well as screenings of the film by Andrzej Sapija Akademia
Ruchu / Academy of Motion.
An international conference devoted to the social context of creative activities in the urban sphere
will also take place.
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Projects accompanying the exhibition:
Chinese Lesson, spektacle by Akademia Ruchu
CCA Laboratory: Saturday 18 February 2012, Saturday 21 April 2012, 7 p.m.
tickets: 8 zł, 6 zł - reduced
Lost Banners, performance by Janusz Bałdyga,
CCA Laboratory CSW: Monday 27 February 2012, 7 p.m.
Essay II, action by Akademia Ruchu
CCA Laboratory: Saturday 10 March 2012, 7 p.m.
From the Road, performance by Jolanta Krukowska,
CCA Laboratory: Saturday 24 March 2012, 7 p.m.
Akademia Ruchu, screening ot the film by Andrzej Sapija
Kino.Lab: Monday 20 February 2012, 6.30 p.m.
Individual presentations by the members of Akademia Ruchu
as part of the program of The Akademia Ruchu Studio in M2 gallery at the CCA
Film documentation:
Jan Pieniążek and Janusz Bałdyga, Cezary Chojnowski, Paweł Kwiek, Władysław Grochowski, Jerzy
Karpiński, Jędrzej Jaworski, Andrzej Sapija, Marek Szumski, Mariusz Szachowski
Photographic documentation:
Jan Pieniążek and Stefan Okołowicz, Katarzyna Górna, Mariusz Michalski
Archival films editing:
Cezary Chojnowski
Consultation, graphic nad photographic material elaboration:
Kuba Bąkowski
Exhibition organised by the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in co-operation with teh
Friends of Akademia Ruchu Association due to the kind finantial support of the Ministry od Culture and
National Heritage and the Board of The City of Warsaw
Thanks to CASEARIA TRENTINA
Media patrons:
Gazeta Wyborcza, Aktivist, Exklusiv, Stolica, Elle Decoration
Press release available at the website:
www.csw.art.pl lap: Press Office | press release
Photographies avalable at: ftp://cswd.home.net.pl
user: media log in: press catalogue: media file: autoprezentacja
Information: Zofia Chojnacka, CCA Press Office, mobile +48 510 160 637
tel./fax 22 625 05 22, [email protected]
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