Edward Dwurnik and Andrzej Szczygieł met in the second half of the 1970s. The lasting effect of their long-standing acquaintance is three documentaries, which we will show during special screenings as part of the exhibition “Edward Dwurnik: Portrait from Nature”. We invite you to the screenings of these exceptional paintings on Saturdays, April 12 and 26, and May 10 and 17.
In 1977, Andrzej Szczygieł made the first film devoted to the work of Edward Dwurnik – “Owoce ziemi”. The title of the film was borrowed from several large-format paintings by Dwurnik showing from a bird’s eye view the land cultivated by people, cut into small squares, cultivated plots fenced with netting. The material for the film was created in the autumn of 1976 in the village of Głusk, in whose rough landscape Dwurnik’s intensive paintings stand. They tell about the cruelty of the times and people trying to survive in a difficult reality. The film examines the relations between the creator, his work and the outside world. It is not a classic documentary, but a record of scenes staged and played by people colorfully dressed and painted by the artist. Among the residents of Głusk, one can see colleagues of Edward Dwurnik and Teresa Gierzyńska from their studies at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts: artists Zofia Kulik, Przemysław Kwiek, Dorota Wnuk and Daniel Wnuk.
The second film presented as part of the show – “Portret z natury” (1983) – is constructed from paintings by Edward Dwurnik and a song written and recorded for the film by Marcin Pyda. The words of the ballad perfectly complement the scenes presented in the paintings, over which the camera moves. The ironic vision of the city told by Dwurnik and Pyda is grotesque and at the same time movingly true. Isolation and passive acceptance of the sad fate of man are visible in it. The film is a portrait of Polish society in the 1980s “from nature” – without embellishing or improving its imperfect form.
Andrzej Szczygieł’s third film, “Polska Nike” (1987), is the closest to a documentary format. It is a report from Dwurnik’s solo exhibition at Van Abbemusem in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. We see the exhibition rooms, the artist’s works and snapshots from the opening. The director accosts the viewers and asks them about their impressions. Huge expressive heads walk around the museum – sculptures by Dwurnik brought to life by Szczygieł’s team.
Andrzej Szczygieł’s film screenings:
12.04 | 15:00-19:00
26.04 | 11:00-15:00
10.05 | 11:00-15:00
17.05 | 11:00-15:00
17.05 | 17:00-22:00 – Museum Night
The exhibition “Edward Dwurnik. Portrait from Nature” is co-financed by the Capital City of Warsaw.