When you have founded your gallery?
For the first 2 years of existing we’ve been working with no own space, using off places and courtesy of our friend’s galleries. In 2006 we participated at Vienna Fair as the only gallery with no own space.
Since January 2007 we have the pleasure to have one space.
List of artist is more less the same like on the very beginning.
How you would describe the profil of the gallery? (main focus, developments)
The manner in which the Gallery is run, as well as its character are – most likely - born about midway between the genius loci – (that of what used to be a private apartment on the 2nd floor of an old tenement building) and the characteristics of my own personality. The cooperation with the artists is intimate, in personal and professional terms alike.
Many of the exhibitions and actions to take place on the Gallery’s premises, either in some way touch upon the web of inter-relations that amount to one’s private surrounding, or arise from the fascination with the private character of the gallery’s interiors
What is the point, where your gallery is different than others?
I keenly observe what goes on around me and I do diligent research prior to visiting
an event abroad – it all, however, does not add up to trend-chasing, which s of no interest to me; there comes a proper time for every form of creativity, eventually – and it is then that it becomes trendy. It happens regardless of anything..
As for myself, I follow fairly simple criteria, when it comes down to composing a set at the gallery or choosing what artists to invite to cooperation. First, it is conditional upon the affirmative to whether I sense a natural integrity of an artist as a human individual and his/her work. Then, it follows the answer I give to the question whether what he/she has to offer is interesting now and if it will still be so in, say, 50 years from today and further down that line – in terms of individual reception - how long after the initial contact with the artist’s work it takes before the possible meanings start to emerge, or in other words, how capacious is its interpretative potential.
What interests me not, though, are questions of age, sex, social background of an artist, or whether his/her works are currently en vogue, etc. – What I am solely interested in, is the immediate nature of what he/she creates.
Does this depend with your own person? (education, special incidents, contacts)
Of course. Me myself I finished Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. I can say that my gallery is like my own art work for me.
Who are the artists, you present? Please choose max. 5 artists
Olaf Brzeski
The Chapuisat Brothers
Tomasz Mróz
Sławek Pawszak
Sławek Rumiak
What are the especially points, you need for feeling fascinated or enthusiastic for an artists work?
Concept, chosen materials, level of personal engagement into the project.
Some word to the actual exhibition: What is for you the important thing to show into this exhibition? What do you want to transport with your show?
Current exhibition is an example of residency we conduct, arranged for the invited participants to savor everyday living in the habitat of the gallery, by letting them actually move in and stay on for a period of one to two months and then gives it up for them to express their experience in whatever form they deem appropriate; be it a self-designed show, or an action outside of the gallery.
I find hosting artists with backgrounds different from where I come from – geographically, or otherwise – a unique opportunity of insight into their creative processes and as such – a fantastic enrichment to my own outlook.
Plans for the future? Where should the gallery profile go to?
Our vision for the future is to act as a catalyst in the artistic education of society and expand the Czarna Gallery into a larger organization dedicated to broadening the cultural understanding of contemporary art. We will achieve this through a well-defined program of regular exhibitions and residential stays for artists and curators, as well as expanding our reach into various media with our own publishing division and a television program for promoting contemporary art and art education.
CZARNA, Marszalkowska St.4 d.3 (2. Etage), 00-590 Warschau,Polen
Galeristin Agnieszka Czarnecka, Tel. +48 796 888 387