Monday, May 23, 2011

Krakow, Poland. A city with an Old Town dominated by the monolithic Wawel Castle on the hill, dating from the 11th century and occupied by a succession of monarchs and emperors until the Nazis took possession in World War 11.

Krakow Old Town

On Friday, May 13, I flew into the city as an observer of the 2011 edition of Krakow PhotoMonth, and also to do a Krakow version of my ‘Other Voices Other Cities’ series. The theme of PhotoMonth, devised by the curatorial team of photographers Olly Chanarin and Adam Broomberg, was Alias, a theme which seemed particularly appropriate to this city with its layers of dubious history. We are staying in the old Jewish district, Kazimierz, now a hip part of the city, with numerous clubs and small restaurants.

Not an artwork, but tokens of love – padlocks on a city bridge

With Alias, the curators’ unique idea was to create a series of exhibitions by a hybrid team of writers and artists. First, a writer was asked to write a story. Next, an artist made a piece of work based on the protagonist of the story. Finally, another writer invented a name and an artist’s biography based on the story and the artwork.

This invented name was the one that appeared in the catalogue. The exhibition openings, then, are a series of investigations into who did what with whom, and what came out of that collaboration.

The opening of ‘Ivan P’’s exhibition

And of course, there is time for parties, catching up, and good Polish food.