New issues of "MOCAK Forum" are now out!

"MOCAK Forum" No. 8

The eighth issue of the "MOCAK Forum" is on sale. The theme of the current issue – drawing on Crime in Art, the exhibition which was presented at the Museum from 16 May until 28 September – is crime in its broadest sense.

The publication leads with a reprint of the acclaimed text by the Italian psychiatrist and criminologist Cesare Lombroso, a pioneer of a comprehensive theory of criminology which held that crime is conditioned by heredity. Matricide and patricide are important threads – including references to the inferred murder of the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta and the mysterious death of Pier Paolo Pasolini – as is the issue of to what extent psychoanalysis is useful in criminology. In the current issue the reader will also find a parody of a detective novel by Gertrude Stein as well as a text written for the Witkacy Stage in Wrocław by pilgrim / majewski, devoted to the post-war fate of … the shoes of Marta Goebbels. The issue closes with a generous interview conducted by Monika Kozioł with Danny Devos – a Belgian artist whose works reference real-life crime.

Editor in chief: Monika Kozioł
Editor of the issue: Sebastian Liszka
Cover art: Magda Buczek

 

Sebastian Liszka (b. 1981) – educator, curator and co-ordinator of cultural projects; playwright. Member of Krytyka Polityczna, during 2008–2011 – a co-ordinator of the KP Club in Krakow; his subsequent roles included posts as the curator of MOCAK Club and literary manager of the J. Szaniawski Dramatic Theatre in Wałbrzych. Presently, he works closely with the National Stary Theatre in Krakow.

Magda Buczek (b. 1979) – a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. A photo, video and performance artist. In her work she frequently employs ready-made and archival material as well as wrapping and everyday objects. She lives and works in Warsaw and Mexico City.

"MOCAK Forum" No. 9

The 9^th issue of MOCAK Forum magazine will soon appear in bookshops all over Poland. The issue strives to show significant relations existing between psychoanalysis and contemporary art.

The issue, titled Psychoanalysis and the Boundaries of Art, is dedicated to contemporary reception of psychoanalysis and its application to art and cultural criticism. It raises the questions of unprofessional art and contemporary education. It also contains information on the MOCAK Archive, featuring some archives connected with Mikołaj Smoczyński. The editor of the issue is Elżbieta Sala. The cover features Honorata Martin's photograph, which is part of her project Going out into Poland (2013).

In the part Psychoanalytic Reflection on Contemporary Culture one can find texts by Lene Auestad, Stephen Frosh, Małgorzata Sacha and Monika Kozioł, to name a few. Kitch and ugliness are subject of Lech Kalita's interview with Justyna Zalewska-Drzeżdżon. An important issue in the part examining the Boundaries of Art is art of socially excluded gropus – unprofessional artists, the insane, the homeless and prisoners. Among other texts there is an interview with psychologist Anna Czajczyk, head of the Custody Suite in Krakow, conducted by Krzysztof Marchlak or Magdalena Mazik's text dedicated to art theraphy at the Józef Babiński Specialist Hospital in Krakow. The educational supplement features interviews with educators from the International Cultural Centre in Krakow, BWA in Tarnów and the National Museum in Krakow. The question of new media and the way they are used by contemporary cultural institutions is discussed in texts by Maciej Jakubowicz and Karina Jarzyńska, who takes a closer look at games and mobile apps at museums.

Editor in chief: Monika Kozioł
Editor of the issue: Elżbieta Sala
Cover art: Honorata Martin

Elżbieta Sala (1984) psychologist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, head of the Department of Education at MOCAK, co-curator of Inner Space exhibition, editor of the book Art and Freedom: Psychoanalytical Reflection on the Significance of Art (MOCAK 2014).

Honorata Martin (1984) a multimedia artist, performer, author of installations and video works. A graduate of the Faculty of Painting specialising in intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Her works were presented in London, Istanbul and Münster, to name a few. She lives and works in Gdańsk.