The exhibition of the works of 22 creative individuals associated with Kraków, representing the generation born between 1979 and 2001, brings almost two hundred painting and spatial works mostly created after 2022. The artists seem to convey anxiety related to the disturbing events taking place currently and fears about the future. The exhibition attempts to capture the tendency of this art to seek emotional refuge from an unstable reality in childhood memories, its myths, cultural reminiscences and nostalgia for the past.

The geopolitical situation, armed conflicts, including the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Covid pandemic and their impact on the economy have created a sense of destabilisation and pessimism about the future. Bold utopian visions have been superseded by nostalgia – a reflexive feeling of loss, an often ambivalent emotion that can splinter into both longing and belonging. Svetlana Boym defined it not only as ‘a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed’, but also as ‘a romance with one’s own phantasy’.

 

The exhibition is like a smile through tears – an attempt to conceal, yet also alleviate sorrow. These artists grew up in two different realities – Poland during the period of political transformation and the years following the turbulence; they share a certain commonality of ideas, anchored not in popular culture, but in more universal cultural codes, such as those used in the history of art.

 

Some of the invited artists have chosen to develop further series that had produced previously or to create works specifically with the premiere show in mind. The oldest work presented at the exhibition dates from 1995; the artist views it as a return – thirty years later – to his very first work ever. This juxtaposition does, of course, demonstrate the development of his technical skills over the decades, but also the changes in perception of the surrounding reality.

 

The paintings, installations and sculptures on display have arisen as an attempt to create a refuge for memories; they are reminiscences from childhood that can offer solace. This is largely representational art. Some artists focus on strong narratives, taking on the role of tellers of fairy tales, myths, urban legends, film and TV series stories. Others, in order to capture the essence of experiencing nostalgia emotionally, seek more abstract formal solutions to create immersive spaces, or try to capture how the desire to return to the past can manifest. Regardless of their individual approach to figuration, within the exhibition the artists have created autonomous lands with a gamut of dreamlike ambience: from blissful dreams to anxiety-inducing nightmares. The intensity of this content has something of a multithreaded oneiric reality, a cluster of afterimages and memories seamlessly overlaid with creations of the imagination. The exhibition is intended as a journey to the carefree times of childhood, when we were bursting with energy and curiosity, and our imaginarium was made up of the Lion King and Bouli, who were just as real as the view from the backyard or the school corridor. Distorted by nostalgia, these memories stand little chance of confronting reality; rather they form a contrary story about the here-and-now, our longings and emotional needs.