Strange objects, blue lights and sexy art
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| Beata Wilczek © Beata Wilczek |
Beata
Wilczek, born in 1986, is
an artist, researcher, curator and fashion lecturer based in Berlin although in
fact she works and lives between Berlin and London. She holds MA from Central
Saint Martins (London) and MA in Social Psychology from SWPS University
(Poland). Her current research is focused mainly on parallels between art and
fashion objects and their value, analyising the similarities between art and
fashion systems. Because of that, her interdisciplinary practice is based on
collaborative projects like her recent exhibitions FOLD at Sky Tower (Wrocław, Poland), Pavilion of Comrades at Intelligentsia Gallery (Beijing, China) and
It has never been so fluo at
Supermarket Gallery (Budapest, Hungary). Her work has been published in some of
the most important magazines in the world like The New York Times, Vice, Novembre
and Frische and exhibited internationally in galleries and museums in Poland,
London and Paris. She has worked with many fashion brands and currently is a
fashion theory lecturer at School of Form (Poznan, Poland). Her current
projects are Nendo Digital a speculative beauty tech project created along with Ada
Sokol and
inspired by the work of Isamu Noguchi and Jean Arp; and I
wanna fold you, another collaborative
project, in this case with photographer Łukasz Wierzbowski, about folds, body
movement, and speed.
Łukasz Wierzbowski, born in 1983 and based in Berlin and Wrocław, is
an artist whose work has appeared in several photography magazines and leading
independent magazines around the world. In his photography, he explores the relationship
between the model and the landscape. His
use of analog photography makes us think on cinematic and creates an intímate atmosphere.
Wierzbowski’s work has been exhibited with solo and group shows around the
world: New York, L.A., London, Berlin, Warsaw, Moscow, Madrid, Rome, Milan,
Melbourne and Taipei. His clients include Penguin Books, Saatchi & Saatchi,
Urban Outfitters, Stern, Nylon, Marie Claire, and SZ Magazin.
In reference to
the I wanna fold you exhibition at the concept store NO WÓDKA in Berlin, open until next February 28,
I have had the chance to interview Beata Wilczek.
You
are currently presenting the exhibition “I wanna fold you”, a collaborative
project with Łukasz Wierzbowski. One of your own recent exhibitions was titled
FOLD too. Why did you choose the fold as inspiration?
I
think of it in a very broad way which spans biology, tech, art and fashion.
When I was walking around the National Gallery in London when I was a student
at Central Saint Martins I had this thought that what I am doing is very similar
to flicking through a pages of a magazine - I just gaze at tones of carefully
draped textiles. Moreover it has very poetic and biological context, with our
skin and brain folding more and more every day. I was also interested in how
form emerges, where does it come from, and folding allows us to create shapes
with such an ease. Also it reflects well where we are now: the matter and data
surrounding us just unfolds constantly. So
everyday we are entangled in so many folds of data, protein,
cloth and meaning. It’s a constant dynamic process.
Was this project a suggestion from others or was it
born from your own purpose?
I
was commissioned by the European Capital of Culture Wroclaw 2016 to propose an
art and fashion show and as I was already deep down in fold research so I
decided to use it as a theme of my new collaborative project. Apart from
fashion and folds I was interested in such topics as joint authorship in
collective art making and time as material.
Which differences do you find between art and fashion?
I
have been always interested in fashion and arts cycles, systems, meanings,
histories. They are both very in time and change driven. Their inner power
relation was always intriguing to me: why is the discourse surrounding fashion
way more naive, especially when you compare it to the way we talk about art.
There have been so many words written on art yet when people talk of fashion
they get very apologetic and defensive - even philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky
starts his book ‘The Empire of Fashion: Dressing Modern Democracy’ by stating
‘The question of fashion is not a fashionable one among intellectuals’. That’s
why I started teaching fashion theory 4 years ago - as I felt lack of critical
approach towards fashion as a complex system in which we are all immersed in.
Also
I am fascinated with art and fashion objects: how they are being made,
distributed, what is their value and meaning. So I guess I am more into the
relations between the two systems rather than differences.
And why do you think people are more interested in
fashion than arts?
I
wouldn't say that people are more interested in fashion than in art, I am not a
one to judge, but fashion is a part of everyone’s everyday life. We consume it
all the time. That’s why I find it so fascinating as it is everywhere, so we
almost don’t see it beyond the cliché categories such as models, magazines and
fashion weeks.
Do you try to show what you see or what you would like
to see?
I
try to show and talk about things that I find important and interesting. With “I
wanna fold you” I started to think about branding and fashion, what is high and
low, if the fashion editorial could be political, can one use an editorial as
an art format?
You mean art as an intention and not only as a
technique. And how would you define your
photography?
My
photography is focused on capturing brief glimpses of everyday life. I like
taking photos of strange objects, blue lights and sexy art. I sometimes take
photos for magazines or personal projects but I use just as one of my tools.
For “I wanna fold you” I have collaborated with Lukasz Wierzbowski who has
developed a very unique visual language. His works are always very poetic, raw
and dynamic. We have worked together numerous times since 2009 and we are good
friends so it was a pleasure to do something together.
What are your future projects?
Currently
I am working on some new collaborative projects with fashion designers and new
lectures and workshops for design students. I am also working on a new London
based art and fashion magazine and some videos for my upcoming shows.
Could you explain us a dream you’ve had while
sleeping?
Dreams
are very important to me and they often take over my second night life. They
are very often dark, sensual and action movie like. In my favourite reoccurring
dream I am a little aubergine and I am competing with a big whale - we are
jumping through oceans waves and I know that if I won’t make it on time, the
little town on the coast will be flooded. I don't know how I can save them but
I know I need to get there before the mean wale does. That’s my dreamy scenario:
chasing the waves with grand purpose in mind.
I wanna fold you
Exhibition at Concept Store NO WÓDKA
Pappelallee 10, 10437 Berlin
Until February 28, 2016
An interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Photo courtesy of Beata Wilczek
All rights reserved