The exhibition at DESA Unicum ‘Magdalena Abakanowicz. Synthesis of the Arts’, organised in the setting of a past exhibition of the Polish artist’s works at the Tate Modern in London and a current exhibition at the Heine Onstad gallery near Oslo, presents all the techniques and materials in Abakanowicz’s extensive repertoire. There will be no shortage of sculptures and prints, as well as oil paintings on canvas, which are extremely rare in the context of her entire oeuvre.Above all, however, the exhibition is worth a visit because of the Abakanowiczs – fabrics that seem to live a life of their own
The monographic exhibition of Magdalena Abakanowicz at DESA Unicum is a unique opportunity to see a large number of works from different periods of the artist’s oeuvre in one place. Her art, which continually triumphs abroad, regularly appears in the best galleries and museums around the world. Recently, there have been two major exhibitions in London and Oslo, both of which have definitely stolen Abakans’ thunder
Abakans are tapestries with a three-dimensional, performative character – the fabrics work with light and air and, in addition, can also be perceived with the sense of smell. Hence, they are often referred to as total works, which, like architecture, work on multiple senses, not just sight or touch. The artist herself believed that the Abakans were a kind of bridge between her and the outside world and created her own safe world
Abakanowicz said that man is a ‘fibrous structure’ and this idea is best seen in textiles. In the 1960s-80s, she created a series of monumental works made of various fibres, including sisal or strong cordage. In doing so, she moved away from the traditional understanding of tapestry and created a new trend in European textile art. She also made fabric sculptures, freely hanging from the ceiling, which will be on display at the exhibition at DESA Unicum. There areas many as 6 Abakans in total,” says Wiktor Komorowski, curator of the exhibition and DESA Unicum expert
However, not only Abakans will appear at the November exhibition. It is also worth noting the oil paintings on canvas, which are rare in Abakanowicz’s oeuvre. The artist created them only at the beginning of her creative activity, but one can see in them many themes that later recurred in her textiles and sculptures
Drawings on paper, watercolours, prints and oils illustrate Abakanowicz’s way of thinking about spatial forms and exemplify the artistic synthesis of the arts, which is what we tried to show at the exhibition. In an extraordinary way, she was able to express the same sensual experience through various techniques, thanks to which, for example, when communing with her fabrics, we can experience the same sensations as when admiring her oil works or sculptures,’ adds Wiktor Komorowski
The exhibition would not be complete without the walking figures, which are Abakanowicz’s trademark. The Crowd on show is a set of 20 ‘Caminando’ bronze statues from the famous collection of Robin Williams, the world-famous comedian and actor, and his wife, Marsha Williams. As recounted by his daughter, Zelda Williams, the star followed his instincts in selecting objects for his collection, and Marsha’s attention was drawn to works that appealed to her aesthetically. Although she never aspired to be an artist herself, she surrounded herself with creative people, and through collecting she further sought to provide an opportunity for artists to create. The exhibition at DESA Unicum is a unique opportunity to see sculptures that were previously in a private collection and not available to the general public
Curator’s guided tour of the exhibition
On Saturday, 18 November, at 1.30 p.m., an open curatorial tour will take place to the exhibition ‘Magdalena Abakanowicz. Synthesis of Arts’. The meeting will be led by Wiktor Komorowski and Natalia Kowalek – DESA Unicum experts, who will introduce the phenomenon and multidimensionality of Abakanowicz’s works. This is a unique opportunity to experience various dimensions of artistic expression in one place and at one time. A detailed schedule and additional information will soon appear on the event website
Curators of the exhibition: Wiktor Komorowski and Natalia Kowalek
There is a wide range of price ranges on offer, from works with a starting price in the region of PLN 12,000 – 18,000 to representations in the range of PLN 1,200,000 – 12,000,000. The highest estimate was reached by the set of walking figures ‘Caminando’ (PLN 8,000,000 – 12,000,000)
The monographic exhibition Magdalena Abakanowicz:
date: 10 – 23.11.2023
auction: 23.11.2023, 7 p.m,
dESA Unicum auction house,
ul. Piękna 1A, Warsaw
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